Kaine Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine—a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee—released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s rulings in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, which further restrict colleges and universities from considering race in admissions decisions:

“Today’s sad ruling means we have even more work to do to address our nation’s ugly history of racism and root out the systemic inequities that unfairly burden diverse communities, like Black and Latino Americans. Not only are those systemic inequities plain wrong; they hurt all of us and hold our economy back. In the competitive global economy, we need a long-term plan that produces the best workforce in the world. We can’t do that without improving educational attainment for all. The strength of Virginia’s—and America’s—higher education system lies in its diversity, and I’m going to do all that I can to double down on my efforts to improve access to education and good jobs.”

Kaine, who practiced civil rights law for 17 years, has long advocated for legislation to improve access to education and job training programs, including through his Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, which would expand federal Pell Grant eligibility to include high-quality, shorter-term job training programs for the first time. Kaine introduced his bipartisan Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals (PREP) Act to address teacher and principal shortages, particularly in rural communities, and increase teacher diversity. In May, Kaine also introduced the DIVERSIFY Act, which would help attract more teachers to the field and expand teacher diversity. 

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