As the son of a 32-year public high school civics teacher, I believe strongly that a quality education is vital and one of the most important vehicles for upward economic mobility. Unfortunately, rising tuition costs and crippling student loan debt are making higher education inaccessible for too many. 

In Congress, I am a strong advocate for public primary, secondary, and higher education institutions. I have supported making greater investments in our pre-kindergarten, K-12 schools, and universities. I’ve worked to decrease barriers of entry for students from lower- and middle-income households to earn a degree or obtain a career and technical education. To help make higher education more affordable, I cosponsored the GRADUATE Act, which would increase the student loan tax deduction from $2,500 to $10,000 and allow borrowers to deduct an additional $500 for each child or dependent.

As a member of the Congressional Dad’s Caucus, I am working with my colleagues to advance policies that help working families balance education and employment. In the FY24 Appropriations process, I requested robust funding for many federal education programs such as Child Care and Development Block Grants (CCDBG), Head Start and Early Head Start, Preschool Development Grants, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grants, and more. 

Accomplishments

• Secured $1,000,000 for Peninsula Family Service and its Middlefield Junction Early Learning Center project
• Secured an appropriations measure to allow the National Science Foundation to improve America’s workforce pipeline and international competitiveness through further investments in graduate education and mentorship programs