{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcdonaldrivet.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mcdonald-rivet-democratic-womens-caucus-call-hhs-withdraw-dangerous-plan", "Rep. McDonald Rivet, Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus Call on HHS to Withdraw Dangerous Plan to Overhaul Head Start", "2026-09-18", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MI", "Kristen McDonald Rivet", "M001237", "mcdonaldrivet.house.gov", "mcdonaldrivet", "https://mcdonaldrivet.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014 Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) and the Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus (DWC) sent a letter, calling on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to withdraw a proposed rule slashing 90% of Head Start Program Performance Standards, which would harm Head Start children, families, and classrooms.\n\n\u201cHead Start makes sure children from low-income families and children with disabilities have a loving place to learn and grow. There are decades of research proving Head Start kids do better in school and better in life,\u201d said Congresswoman McDonald Rivet. \u201cThis Administration\u2019s proposed overhaul will wreak havoc on what makes Head Start so special. It\u2019ll make it harder for kids to learn, harder for teachers to do their jobs, and harder for working parents to make ends meet. We can\u2019t let it go forward.\u201d\n\nFor over 60 years, Head Start has provided child care and social services for children from low-income families, children with disabilities, dual language learners, and children experiencing homelessness. HHS\u2019s proposed rule would eliminate over 1,400 regulatory provisions and largely defer rules and guidelines to states and local programs. These changes would severely diminish the quality of Head Start services, including:\n\nWeakening protections for children with disabilities.\n\nEliminating federal limits on class size and staff-to-student ratios.\n\nRolling back credential requirements for Head Start staff and teachers.\n\nReducing health and safety protections for children.\n\nCutting program hours.\n\nLeading the letter alongside Congresswoman McDonald Rivet are DWC Chair Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez (NM-03) and DWC Members Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), and Lateefah Simon (CA-12). 70 Members of Congress signed the letter.\n\nThe letter from the lawmakers reads, in part, \u201cThis proposed rule guts an essential early childhood program and its services for hundreds of thousands of women and families nationwide, which would increase their costs and burden to replace those services. In today\u2019s environment of rising costs, it is cruel to make life more difficult and expensive for these families.\u201d\n\nA copy of the letter can be found here.\n\nPrior to serving in elected office, Congresswoman McDonald Rivet served as Executive Director of Michigan Head Start.", 1, "2026-09-23T09:45:16Z", "2026-09-23T09:46:14Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mcdonaldrivet.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mcdonald-rivet-democratic-womens-caucus-call-hhs-withdraw-dangerous-plan"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6776121445000172, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}