[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 200 (Wednesday, November 17, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H6325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        NATIONAL APPRENTICE WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle 
who believe that the Build Back Better Act is going to make this 
country better are trying to sell snake oil to the American people. 
There is an old saying, Mr. Speaker: You can fool some of the people 
all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool 
all of the people all of the time.
  Frankly, the American people--some of them--have seen the light, and 
they understand that Build Back Better is going to bankrupt this 
country and that is not the way most Americans want to go. So we will 
see if the people who vote for Build Back Better have the real support 
of the American people next year if that bill passes.
  Mr. Speaker, this is National Apprenticeship Week, and it is fitting 
that as the lead Republican on the Education and Labor Committee that 
we talk about the importance of apprenticeships.
  As we know, apprenticeships have been around since the beginning of 
time and they have been much more used in other countries. They were 
much used in our country for a long, long time. Then the numbers of 
them decreased. However, in recent years more and more Americans have 
found that apprenticeship programs are an effective option to help 
achieve their career goals.

  I have had people in my family go through apprenticeship programs, 
and I know for a fact how valuable they are. These earn-and-learn 
programs offer students and workers a viable path toward the American 
Dream, and it is very fitting that we should celebrate National 
Apprenticeship Week and highlight the apprenticeship programs across 
the country.
  However, unfortunately, the Biden administration is proposing to end 
the program dedicated to expanding apprenticeships, cutting off this 
important pathway to sustainable and rewarding careers. By ending 
Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, or IRAP, President Biden 
is hurting workers and businesses nationwide. This decision moves our 
country backward and will keep many Americans from being able to 
prepare for their future.
  Instead of ending IRAPs, we should be working to inject innovation 
and flexibility into the apprenticeship model so that more Americans 
can get back to work and achieve the American Dream, no putting 
roadblocks in their way. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more 
clear with every action of the Biden administration that the American 
worker is always going to take a backseat in President Biden's America.

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