Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Becca Balint fought back against Republican attacks on students and families in her first Budget Committee hearing. Rep. Balint focused on education funding to ensure our schools and communities receive the funding they need to tackle our nation’s mental health crisis. She asked Director Young what American families can expect in the President’s budget that will address how the federal government chooses to fund schools and support students. This follows the Republican Majority’s decision to advance a bill (HR5) that would insert the federal government between parents and schools and threatens trans youth. Her statement below:

“This week the Republican majority is bringing a bill to the floor that would put a very large burden on schools and families.  It would condition federal funding for schools on implementing policies that will actively harm LGBTQ youth. We’re only in DC for a few days this week and we are spending our valuable time on a bill that would insert the federal government between parents and kids and local schools.  It promotes censorship. It promotes book banning. It violates the privacy of young people. And they say it’s about freedom. And they say it’s about protecting kids. And I have to ask: what about book banning is about protecting freedom? What about defunding schools is about protecting kids. And I can tell you this is not how constituents want me to be spending my time.

“I was back in Vermont last week, traveling around the state and we talked about a lot of urgent, urgent issues facing families in Vermont – housing, mental health, protecting social safety nets like social security and Medicare. We talked about how we have to do more right now to support mental health in schools. And not one person, not one in all my travels around the state, advocated for less funding for schools. I met with so many high school students last week and what they told me directly and indirectly is that they need us to support them in meaningful ways when it comes to mental health supports. 

“American families across the country are facing these urgent problems. The Center for Disease Control just released their youth risk behavior survey results. And the results show that teen girls and LGBTQ teens are experiencing extremely high rates of mental distress, violence, and substance abuse. 3 in 5 girls feel consistently sad which is a marker for depressive symptoms. And more than 1in 4 girls report that they had seriously considered suicide in 2021. 1 in 4. This is a substantial increase from 2011. 

“And we have House Republican Leadership ignoring this epidemic and instead pushing HR 5, a bill that stokes the fire of division instead of uniting us around this issue. I know that Republicans colleagues across the aisle also care about the mental struggles of families in their communities. So, I want to know why we’re not talking about that more. Our kids and teens are suffering. We need real investments in mental health care. And as a parent of school aged children, I can tell you that is what parents are talking about right now. That’s what they’re talking about. I know Mr. Trone asked about mental health supports. I wondered if you [Director Young] could go back to the President’s Budget and talk a little bit more about what families and students can look for that will give them hope in this budget around these issues.”