The progress cannot be overstated, and it is vital that the Secretary champion policies that keep this momentum going.

This is an urgent concern, and we need work force development solutions that connect disenfranchised workers with the skills they need to fill good-paying in-demand jobs.

Committee Republicans have long supported the expansion of association health plans, and we're pleased to see the Department's final rule expanding access to health coverage.

It's a pleasure having you here to talk about the Department of Labor's policies and priorities on the heels of such excellent news about the booming U.S. economy.

It is clear that in your--as a result of your very long opening statement that you care passionately about this issue, and I will tell you I care passionately about it also.

I think the Obama era guidelines are an abdication rather than an assertive effort to cure the ills in minority communities.

The idea that disruptive behavior and failing is somehow tied to Black identity is one of the most destructive ideas in our country today.

Even with the legal barriers to equal education broken, achieving true equality for all students has followed a steep and arduous path.

I believe with my whole heart that an excellent education is the key to lifelong success.

Thanks to the relentless courage of Linda Brown, her parents, and civil rights leaders, the abhorrent segregationist policy of 'separate but equal' was recognized for what it was: inherently unequal.

It is just cruel to keep well performing minority students in classes with disruptive students.