Media

Congratulations to Dr. John King, Jr., whom the Senate confirmed today to lead the U.S. Department of Education. Secretary King brings to the position experience at the local, state and federal levels and is deeply committed to ensuring that all children, no matter their zip code or the color of their skin, have equal access to the quality education they deserve. It was a pleasure to welcome Dr. King to my district last month when Miami-Dade County accepted President Obama's My Brother's Keeper Community Challenge.

"Today the Affordable Care Act turns six. Just like food, shelter and a living wage, affordable health care is a necessary lifeline. Thanks to the ACA, 20 million previously uninsured people now have access to affordable health insurance plans. In addition to enabling hardworking Americans to access much-needed preventative services, this historic legislation also lessens the likelihood that they will lose all that they've worked so hard for if they or a family member fall ill.

The U.S. Supreme Court handed unions an important victory today with its tied ruling in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. The 4-4 decision preserves the Ninth Circuit Court ruling in favor of public rulings.

"New York is the first state to dedicate funding to support President Obama's My Brother's Keeper initiative and has secured $20 million in its budget for this effort.

"As a former educator and founder of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence, an in-school mentoring and drop-out prevention program, I have dedicated over 25 years to changing the lives of thousands of at-risk boys and young men of color. Having dedicated a quarter century of my life to this cause, I applauded President Obama when he launched the My Brother's Keeper initiative in 2014.

MIAMI - Today, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24) announced that the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is now accepting applications for the CBC Spouses Education Scholarship. The scholarship was established in 1998 by the spouses of Congressional Black Caucus members in response to federal cuts in spending for education programs and scholarships. Academically talented and highly motivated black students of all majors who intend to pursue full-time undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degrees are encouraged to apply.

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson issued the following statement in response the release of the Department of Labor's final conflict of interest rule requiring retirement advisers to act in the best interests of their clients.

"As a representative of a majority-minority district located in what has been named one of America's top ten cities with the worst income inequality, I understand that many workers have little margin for error when it comes to their retirement savings.

During today's Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hearing on the Department of Labor's updated silica rule, Ranking Member Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24) applauded DOL's long-awaited rule to limit workers' exposure to crystalline silica dust, a long-known human carcinogen that causes silicosis, lung cancer, respirable illnesses such as COPD, and kidney disease.

With the U.S. State Department as their backdrop, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, gave the world a moving reminder that the 219 Chibok schoolgirls who are still missing after their abduction by Boko Haram deserve to be remembered every day, not just on tragic anniversaries, and that the fight for their safe return is a global one. They also praised the girls who escaped from the terrorist group on April 14, 2014, for their courage and their commitment to continuing their studies.