Mark Takano

My Republican colleagues have suggested that the 346 VA employees who use 100 percent official time are standing in the way of veterans' access to care...

It is my hope that the work we do together in this subcommittee will ensure that the rules of our economy help American workers and businesses prosper together.

Over the past four decades worker productivity has grown by more than 70 percent.

This administration ran a campaign that promised to defend working people, but the nomination of Andy Puzder... was a betrayal of working people across this country.

Letter dated February 14, 2017, from Jobs With Justice

This hiring freeze was highly, highly political and highly, highly expedient.

It's curious to me that several witnesses and some of my Republican colleagues have said that the Fair Labor Standards Act is an outdated law from the 1930s that needs to be updated to reflect the modern workforce.

In a victory for working families, Mr. Puzder has now withdrawn his name from consideration.

Letter dated February 15, 2017, from the National Partnership for Women and Families

This hiring freeze is going to cause us to rely on more expensive contractors, and actually we're not going to achieve any shrinkage in the number of people we need to serve our veterans.

These workers deserve a Secretary of Labor who will fight to recover their hard-earned pay.

I don't understand why this administration wants to put a freeze on employing people that are absolutely needed to help our veterans.

Enforcing the FLSA and regularly updating the law would have meant that many, many people, workers would have felt the benefit of being protected by these overtime protections.

The American people are counting on us, and we cannot let them down.

We need to update wage and hour policy for the 21st century.

Where there's common ground, we certainly should work together. But on areas where we disagree, we'll have to stand our ground.

These vacancies could be filled by veterans or veteran families.

There is simply no need to make the false choice between employer innovation and rules that make our economy fair for everyone.

American workers' productivity has led to tremendous economic growth; but, unfortunately, the rules are written so that the economy delivers only for those at the very top.

Thank you, Chairman Byrne, and congratulations to you on your new position as chairman of this subcommittee.

I want to emphasize my commitment to working together, finding common ground, and advancing the positive solutions that the American people deserve.

Letter dated February 16, 2017, from the Economic Policy Institute

But let it be known that there is a spirit of comity between us.

It often takes a government loan guarantee program to be able to move that forward.

Mr. Takano. I want to turn now to the gainful employment regulations, Mr. Gilligan.