[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 51 (Friday, March 22, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H1493-H1495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COVID LOCKDOWNS HARMED OUR CHILDREN
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from California
(Mr. Kiley) for 30 minutes.
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, COVID-era school shutdowns were the most
consequential political failure of at least the 21st century. We are
finally starting to see some recognition of that, yet we still have not
fully reckoned with the sheer breadth and scale of the harm that was
done to so many people and to our entire country.
We haven't had nearly the level of accountability for those who were
responsible for these decisions, and we certainly haven't seen the
fundamental change to public education in this country that what
happened ought to have catalyzed. Nonetheless, at least we are starting
to see some recognition of the harm that was done and the mistakes that
were made.
Here is an article from The New York Times: ``What the Data Says
About Pandemic School Closures, Four Years Later.''
``The more time students spent in remote instruction, the further
they fell behind. And, experts say, extended closures did little to
stop the spread of COVID.''
Mr. Speaker, I would like to read a few excerpts from this article.
It says: ``Some schools, often in Republican-led States and rural
areas reopened by fall 2020. Others, typically in large cities and
States led by Democrats, would not fully reopen for another year.
``A variety of data--about children's academic outcomes and about the
spread of COVID-19--has accumulated in the time since. Today, there is
broad acknowledgment among many public health and education experts
that extended school closures did not significantly stop the spread of
COVID, while the academic harms for children have been large and long-
lasting.''
Dr. Sean O'Leary, a pediatric infectious disease specialist who
worked with the current American Academy of Pediatrics, says: ``There
is fairly good consensus that, in general, as a society we probably
kept kids out of school longer than we should have.''
The article continues: ``A growing body of research shows that
pandemic school closures came at a steep cost to students. At the State
level, more time spent in remote or hybrid instruction in the 2020-21
school year was associated with larger drops in test scores, according
to a New York Times analysis of school closure data and results from
the National Assessment of Educational Progress. . . . `'
``At the school district level, that finding also holds, according to
analysis of test scores from third through eighth grade in thousands of
U.S. districts, led by researchers at Sanford and Harvard. . . .
Learning remotely, they fell more than half a grade behind in math on
average, while in districts that spent most of the year in person they
lost just over a third of a grade.''
The article continues that ``larger gaps remaining among students
that lost the most ground to begin with. Students in districts that
were remote or hybrid the longest--at least 90 percent of the 2020-21
school year--still had almost double the ground to make up compared
with students in districts that allowed students back for most of the
year.''
``As districts shifted toward in-person learning as the year went on,
students that were offered a hybrid schedule . . . did better, on
average, than those in places where school was fully remote, but worse
than those in places that had school fully in person.''
In particular, Mr. Speaker, young people in low-income communities
suffered the most. The Times notes that ``the combination--poverty and
remote learning--was particularly harmful. For each week spent remote,
students in poor districts experienced steeper losses in math than
peers in richer districts.''
The article continues that ``other things were also associated with
worse student outcomes, including increased anxiety and depression
among adults in children's lives, and the overall restriction of social
activity in a community, according to the Stanford and Harvard
research.''
Finally, Mr. Speaker, the article notes that closing schools did not
appear to significantly slow COVID spread.
By the fall of 2020, ``there were initial signs that children were
less likely to become seriously ill, and growing evidence from Europe
and parts of the United States that opening schools, with safety
measures, did not lead to significantly more transmission.''
That was clear in the fall of 2020 at the time when so many schools
remained closed.
Dr. Noble, who directed the COVID response at the UCSF emergency
department, said: ``Infectious disease leaders have generally agreed
that school closures were not an important strategy in stemming the
spread of COVID.''
In addition to The Times' acknowledgment here, Mr. Speaker, we also
have a new study out of Stanford's Hoover Institution that shows that
because of the reduction in lifetime earning potential for students
because of the learning loss they experienced, it is going to have a
truly staggering economic impact on our country.
The study finds that our Nation will lose some $31 trillion--that is
trillion with a t--$31 trillion during the 21st century because of this
catastrophic policy.
Now, while this Times article is collecting data 4 years later, this
was all very clear at the time from nearly the beginning of the
pandemic. I said so myself when our Governor, Gavin Newsom, in early
July of 2020 ordered California schools to be closed for the coming
school year.
I released a statement saying:
Today's decision elevates the appearance of safety over
actual student safety. A growing body of evidence suggests
school closures do little to flatten the academic curve while
they are a calamity for kids.
I certainly was not alone in saying so. On June 29 of 2020, the
American Academy of Pediatrics said it ``strongly advocates that all
policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a
goal of having students physically present in school.''
I did a survey of my district at the time. This is June and July of
2020 heading into the 2021 school year. Mr. Speaker, 6,028 people
responded, and over 80 percent said they wanted an in-person learning
option to start the school year; yet, our Governor, like many others,
did not abide by their wishes. He shut down schools across the State.
However, tellingly, he sent his own children to in-person private
school at the exact same time that he was expelling millions of less
fortunate kids from California public schools.
That tells us everything we need to know about the fact that he knew
that his policy was the wrong thing to do.
While California was the very worst State in the country, dead last
out of all 50 States in getting kids back to school, many States in
this country reopened their schools far too slowly.
Although many did, in fact, open for the fall of 2020, and their
children experienced very little learning loss. That is further
evidence of what the data made very clear at that time.
Now, the Biden administration, for its part, was complicit in all of
this. The administration, for example, had all of the wrong priorities.
He went after the Governors who refused to do child mask mandates
rather than criticizing the Governors who refused to open schools.
The Education Department even sued the Biden administration. They
even sued States that opted not to do child mask mandates--mandates, by
the way, that flew in the face of all available evidence and ran
directly against what the WHO recommended in some cases and our
counterparts in Europe.
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The administration sued Governors for refusing to enforce child mask
mandates, and, yet, would not criticize Governors who refused to open
schools.
I asked the Secretary of Education about this myself at a hearing
last year.
I said: Did you ever criticize Gavin Newsom or Governors like him for
refusing to open schools?
Did you ever encourage them to open schools?
He could not give me a single example of when he did so.
The blame for this disastrous set of policy decisions lies first and
foremost with the State leaders who made them, but the Biden
administration was very much complicit in the harms of something that
are going to be with our country for a very long time.
Mr. Speaker, why is it important to still focus on this now that we
are through the pandemic and kids are back in school?
In one infamous article in The Atlantic the writer proposed that we
have a pandemic amnesty, we just forget everything that happened, and
we avoid revisiting the mistakes that were made. However, I think that
is exactly the wrong thing to do for a few reasons.
The first is that it is an insult to the millions and millions of kid
across this country who have suffered so much, who suffered dramatic
learning loss, whose learning, lives, and careers are now going to be
held back, who suffered from a mental health perspective, from a social
development perspective, who weren't able to play youth sports and who
suffered so many other things because of what political leaders, people
in power, knew to be the wrong decision.
What is more is this harm is still ongoing, the harm that kids
suffered and the learning loss that they suffered. They have not
regained the ground that was lost, and, frankly, we have not done
nearly enough to try to provide the support that is needed to help
students regain those losses more quickly.
Finally, what happened during the COVID era provided a window into
the broader failures in public education in many parts of this country.
California, for example, even before COVID ranked last out of the 48
States, in the continental U.S., second to last out of all 50 States
when it came to education outcomes in low-income communities. Then, lo
and behold, California also had the worst COVID policies with the
longest school shutdown.
Those facts derive from the same underlying cause which is that our
public education system simply is not about the kids. We see that right
now in the ongoing attacks on charter schools where this administration
has tried to cut grants for charter schools, where California has made
it much more difficult to open and to replicate high performing charter
schools, and where just last week, the second largest school district
in the country, the Los Angeles Unified School District voted to
restrict the operation of charter schools in what is largely a failing
district.
Mr. Speaker, I think we have a long way to go to fully come to terms
with what happened in education during the COVID era in this country
and certainly a long way to go to make the necessary reforms to ensure
that every child in this country gets the education they deserve, but
at least the acknowledgement we see here is a start.
{time} 1300
Recognizing Shigeru Ochi
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize a
truly remarkable veteran and community member in my district, Mr.
Shigeru Ochi, for his 100-year milestone birthday.
On February 26, in Folsom, California, Mr. Ochi celebrated a
century's worth of life experiences and history, which included many
notable events and personal accomplishments, as well as much adversity
and hardship.
Mr. Ochi was born in 1924 and was raised in east Los Angeles, where
he experienced the economic downturn of the Great Depression. Less than
2 months before he was to graduate high school, World War II commenced
and was underway.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Ochi and his family were
ordered to an internment camp in Inyo County due to their Japanese
ancestry.
After being released from the internment camp 1 month after his 19th
birthday in 1943, he went on to pursue higher education at Macalester
College in Minnesota. He was able to complete 1 year at the college
before being drafted by the U.S. Army.
Despite the challenge of living through incarceration in an
internment camp, Mr. Ochi recalls being eager to show his loyalty to
the United States by serving in our military.
As part of his service, he graduated from the Military Intelligence
Service Language School and was deployed to Hiroshima, where his family
originated, to support his fellow soldiers and assist in post-war
efforts.
Following his service in World War II, he completed his degree. Then,
in the spring, the Graduate Record Exam was administered nationally for
the first time, and he received a perfect score in math. This score, in
addition to his excellent academic record, earned him a full
scholarship to MIT for graduate school, where he graduated at the top
of his class in 1951.
Throughout his life, Mr. Ochi has continually exhibited the qualities
of determination, resilience, and perseverance, and he is known by all
who know him for his devotion to his family, community, and country.
I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Ochi at his 100-year birthday
celebration. It was truly a wonderful experience. He is such an
inspiration, and I am honored to represent exemplary individuals like
him in the U.S. House. He embodies the American spirit of patriotism
and is an inspiration to our entire community.
Therefore, on behalf of California's Third Congressional District and
the United States House of Representatives, I am honored to recognize
Mr. Shigeru Ochi for his centennial birthday, and I wish to express our
Nation's gratitude for his heroic and invaluable service.
Recognizing Daniel C. Holler
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize the retiring town manager
for the town of Mammoth Lakes, Daniel C. Holler, for his years of
service to the Mammoth Lakes community.
Mr. Holler has served the people of Mammoth Lakes for more than a
decade with an overall career of public service of over 36 years. Mr.
Holler began his government career in 1987. Throughout his career, he
worked for many different municipalities, including the city of
Glendora, the city of West Covina, Douglas County in Nevada, and,
lastly, the town of Mammoth Lakes.
During Mr. Holler's tenure as Mammoth Lakes' town manager, he
successfully managed the town's budget and 106 full-time employees;
assumed a leadership role in four disaster declarations, including
extreme weather events and COVID-19; promoted housing projects and
programs; invested in parks and recreation amenities; improved
recycling programs; and enhanced overall services in the town of
Mammoth Lakes.
Mr. Holler achieved a wide diversity of accomplishments to improve
the quality of life and experiences for residents, businesses, and
visitors of Mammoth Lakes. One particularly noteworthy accomplishment
was his leadership in the development, funding, and partnership
supporting a new community recreation center, home of the LA Kings Ice
at Mammoth Lakes and the Mammoth Rec Zone.
It is because of the commitment of people like Mr. Holler that
Mammoth Lakes is such a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
I personally saw how effective he was when Mammoth was hit by really
unprecedented extreme weather and storms last year. The task of
clearing the streets, making them drivable, and the million other
challenges that this weather presented were incredibly difficult to
deal with. Yet, he managed them ably. The snow was cleared from the
streets in time. You wouldn't even be able to believe how quickly he
and his entire team was able to do that. It tells you a lot about the
caliber of his leadership.
I am confident that the legacy he built of hard work, resilience,
vision, and service will continue in the town of Mammoth Lakes for many
years to come.
Recognizing U.S. Sergeant Maciel Hay
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize
U.S.
[[Page H1495]]
Army Sergeant Maciel Hay, who recently made history as the first woman
on Active Duty to graduate from the United States Army's sniper course.
Sergeant Hay grew up shooting guns on her family's ranches in
California and Oregon, with the ability to quickly find targets earning
her the nickname ``Sniper.''
However, her interest and motivation in becoming a sniper didn't
begin until she attended a local community college in my district,
Sierra College. Defying odds, she completed basic training while
qualifying as an expert with the M4 assault rifle and then went on to
graduate from Airborne School.
To attend Sniper School, Sergeant Hay went through a scrupulous
selection process, meeting numerous mental and physical requirements
and demanding exceptional marksmanship skills and a high level of
fitness, discipline, and concentration.
Once at school, her skills in marksmanship, the art of stalking and
concealment, observation and intelligence gathering, survival skills
and land navigation, and urban sniper operations were tested and
developed. Through her determination, resilience, and sacrifice,
Sergeant Hay successfully completed the training, living up to her
childhood nickname and becoming the first female Active-Duty Army
sniper.
I commend Sergeant Hay for her incredible capabilities, motivation,
drive, and teamwork skills, and I am confident that her achievement
will inspire many others toward their goals.
On behalf of California's Third Congressional District and the United
States House of Representatives, I am honored to recognize Sergeant Hay
for this historic accomplishment, and I wish to express gratitude for
her heroic and invaluable service to our country.
Recognizing Sheri Merrick
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to recognize
the outgoing COO of the Folsom Chamber of Commerce, Sheri Merrick.
Before working with the local small business community, Sheri started
her career in the dental industry as an office manager and bookkeeper.
In that position, her passion for the dental industry grew, inspiring
her to expand her education in the dental field.
She went on to attain over 19 years of managing experience and
teaching whole-body health education with a focus on the connection
between the mouth and the rest of the body.
Through innovative marketing approaches and educational tools, she
helped many dental offices thrive in a down economy. From there, she
established her own consulting and community engagement company and
worked closely with the Folsom Chamber of Commerce.
In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, she took up her
passion for small business full time by joining the Folsom Chamber of
Commerce team. During that time, she played an instrumental role toward
helping many organizations face and overcome the challenges surrounding
the pandemic.
For almost 7 years as a whole, Sheri devoted her time and talents to
Folsom businesses. Through my own experience working with Sheri, I can
attest to the ambition and enthusiasm with which she performed her
role. I commend her for the lasting contributions she has made toward
promoting the business environment, economic vitality, and quality of
life in Folsom.
It is because of remarkable people like Sheri Merrick that Folsom is
such a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
While she will be greatly missed in Folsom, I am confident that her
breadth of knowledge, experiences, and abilities have uniquely
positioned her for her new role as the executive director of the Citrus
Heights Chamber of Commerce and that she will continue to make a very
positive impact.
On behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I am honored
to recognize Sheri Merrick for her hard work and dedication to the
Folsom business community, and I wish her the best of luck in her new
role.
Recognizing House Education and the Workforce Committee
Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to applaud the House Education
and the Workforce Committee's passage yesterday of my resolution under
the Congressional Review Act to nullify the Biden administration's new
independent contractor rule.
The resolution passed the committee yesterday. It now has over 60
cosponsors and has a companion measure led by Senator Cassidy in the
Senate.
The Biden administration's rule is one of the most harmful
regulations that we have ever seen issued in this country. It is
explicitly modeled on California's disastrous law known as AB5, which
has cost people their livelihoods in over 600 professions and led to
heartbreaking story after heartbreaking story of people who lost their
careers, who lost everything.
A recent study out of George Mason shows that AB5 in California led
to a 10.4 percent decline in self-employment and a 4.5 percent decline
in overall employment.
Now, the Biden administration is threatening to do the same damage to
our entire country. Tens of millions of freelancers and independent
contractors will be affected by this new rule.
Just to take one example, there are hundreds of thousands of truckers
who could be taken off the road, throwing our supply chains into chaos.
It is by no means an exaggeration to say that the livelihoods of
millions of Americans are now at risk.
The administration's new rule, which not even the administrator of
the Wage and Hour Division could give us any answers as to how it will
be applied at a recent hearing of my subcommittee that I convened, is
so overreaching that it has already prompted four separate lawsuits on
procedural grounds, statutory grounds, and constitutional grounds.
To add insult to injury, the administration has, of all people,
brought in to enforce it Julie Su, who was the labor secretary in
California and, in that role, was the architect of AB5 and ruthlessly
enforced it to such devastating effect.
Ms. Su remains unconfirmed. For over a year, she has been in an
acting capacity, and the Senate returned her nomination to the
President last year amid bipartisan opposition. Yet, the administration
has kept her in that role, apparently one of the main reasons being so
that she could enforce it in the exact same damaging way that AB5 was
enforced in California.
Of course, I am continuing to call on President Biden to do the right
thing, to withdraw Ms. Su's failed nomination and to withdraw this
disastrous new independent contractor rule. Barring that, Ms. Su and
President Biden should, at the very least, put the rule on hold,
suspend it until the ongoing litigation's outcome is clear. The
business community and millions of workers across this country will
otherwise be in a state of great and highly damaging uncertainty.
In the meantime, I will continue to build support and work with folks
on both sides of the aisle to pass this resolution under the
Congressional Review Act so that we can spare millions of American
workers from the same fate that folks have suffered in California and
to protect the right to earn a living in this country.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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