As chairwoman of the Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Virginia Foxx has positioned herself as a champion of workers — but her record tells a different story. Foxx voted against the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that delivered over $9 billion to North Carolina for roads, bridges, and broadband, and voted against the CHIPS and Science Act that brought semiconductor manufacturing jobs to the U.S. She used her committee gavel to block an overtime rule that would have guaranteed overtime pay for 4 million salaried workers earning under $58,656, celebrated when a federal judge struck it down, and called the $15 minimum wage "blatantly socialist" — all while representing a district where median household income sits at $58,753, below the national average. As Rules Committee chairwoman, she shielded Trump's tariffs from congressional repeal even as North Carolina lost 7,200 manufacturing jobs in 2025 and economists warned the tariffs could cost the state's farmers $695 million and 8,000 jobs. She voted for a tax law that gave the top 20% of earners 80 times the tax relief of working families, then cut food assistance to pay for it — imposing the largest SNAP cuts in history and threatening benefits for 1.35 million North Carolinians.
Foxx Voted Against The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act, Which Delivered Over $9 Billion To North Carolina For Roads, Bridges, And Broadband. According to GovTrack, Foxx voted Nay on H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, on November 5, 2021. The bill passed 228-206. [GovTrack, 11/5/21]
The Law Addressed 1,460 Structurally Deficient Bridges And Over 3,100 Miles Of Highway In Poor Condition Across North Carolina. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, North Carolina received approximately $7.8 billion in federal highway formula funding over five years — 28.7% more than under prior law. Each North Carolina driver pays an estimated $500 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair. [U.S. Department of Transportation, Viewed 2/16/26]
The Law Provided Nearly $1 Billion To Expand Broadband To More Than 400,000 North Carolinians Who Lacked Access. According to the NC Broadband Infrastructure Office, North Carolina was set to receive nearly $1 billion for broadband from the infrastructure act to connect the more than one million North Carolinians — many in rural communities like those in Foxx's district — who still lacked access. [NC Broadband Infrastructure Office, 11/16/21]
Foxx Voted Against The CHIPS And Science Act, Which Invested $280 Billion To Boost Domestic Semiconductor Manufacturing And Create High-Paying Jobs. According to GovTrack, Foxx voted Nay on H.R. 4346, the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, on July 28, 2022. The bill passed 243-187, with 24 Republicans joining all Democrats in support. [GovTrack, 7/28/22]
Foxx Moved To Block A Rule That Would Have Extended Overtime Protections To 4 Million Salaried Workers Earning Less Than $58,656. According to the House Education and Workforce Committee, Chairwoman Foxx introduced a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Department of Labor's overtime rule, calling it an "unworkable rule" that was "drowning job creators in excessive compliance costs." The rule would have raised the salary threshold for overtime eligibility from $35,568 to $58,656. [House Education and Workforce Committee, Viewed 2/16/26]
Foxx Called The Raise The Wage Act "Blatantly Socialist" And "An Intentionally Dishonest Political Stunt." According to NPR, Rep. Virginia Foxx called the legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour "blatantly socialist" and characterized it as "at best a foolish policy proposal. At worst, it's an intentionally dishonest political stunt." The House passed the bill 231-199; Foxx voted No. [NPR, 3/6/19]
Foxx Received A Lifetime Score Of 8% From The AFL-CIO, Which Tracks Votes On Jobs, Pay, Benefits, And Workers' Rights. According to the AFL-CIO's legislative scorecard, Foxx's lifetime score of 8% reflects consistent opposition to worker protections across her career. In 2023, she scored 10% — above her career average but still among the lowest in Congress. [AFL-CIO, Viewed 2/16/26]
Foxx Led The Rules Committee Effort To Block Congress From Voting To Repeal Trump's Emergency Tariffs. According to Roll Call, House Rules Chairwoman Virginia Foxx advanced legislation to prevent lawmakers from terminating President Trump's emergency tariffs, stating the extension would "'give the Supreme Court time to weigh in on the president's tariffs.'" The Rules Committee voted 8-3 to report the resolution to the full House. [Roll Call, 2/10/26]
North Carolina Lost 7,200 Manufacturing Jobs In 2025 While Foxx Protected The Tariffs Economists Blamed. According to the Carolina Journal, North Carolina's manufacturing sector lost 7,200 jobs over the past year, a 1.6% decrease, making it one of only two sectors to report annual losses. Brian Balfour, senior vice president of research at the John Locke Foundation, stated, "'As long as these tariffs are taking place, net impact will be negative in the manufacturing job sector.'" [Carolina Journal, Viewed 2/16/26]
Foxx Voted For The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Which The Tax Policy Center Found Sends 60% Of Tax Breaks To The Top 20% Of Earners. According to CBS News, the Tax Policy Center projected the law would deliver an average tax cut of approximately $12,540 to the top 20% of earners (those making $217,000 or more) but just $150 for the bottom 20% (those making up to $34,600). Over 60% of adults surveyed believed the law favors wealthy Americans. [CBS News, Viewed 2/16/26]
The Law Imposed The Largest Cuts To Food Assistance In SNAP History, Threatening Benefits For 1.35 Million North Carolinians. According to the NC Institute of Medicine, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act projects a $187 billion cut to SNAP over the next decade — the largest cut to the program to date. Approximately 1.4 million North Carolinians receive SNAP benefits, representing 1 in 8 people in the state, including 46,000 veterans. [NC Institute of Medicine, Viewed 2/16/26]
North Carolina's Furniture Industry Lost More Than Half Its Jobs After Trade Deals — And Tariffs Foxx Protected Are Complicating The Recovery. According to NPR, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond traced the decline to the U.S.-China bilateral WTO agreement signed in November 1999, which "opened the door to cheaper labor abroad, especially in Asia." Over the next decade, North Carolina's furniture-making industry lost more than half its jobs. Now, even as tariffs aim to bring jobs back, one CEO said his company already has "'50 factory jobs for which he can't find qualified workers,'" while another manufacturer warned, "'Everyone's terrified of what things are going to cost, and they're just sitting it out.'" [NPR, 10/31/25]
Tariffs Are Driving Up Grocery Prices For North Carolina Families. According to WUNC, North Carolina farmers and food sellers warned that tariffs were spiking food costs, with Red Scout Farm owner Mary Carroll Dodd stating, "'When the price of everything it takes to grow vegetables goes up from soil to tools to fertilizer, packaging, transportation, then the vegetables on the holiday table goes up as well.'" [WUNC, 11/25/25]
Foxx's District Has A Median Household Income Of $58,753 — Below The National Average — Yet She Blocked Overtime Pay For Workers Earning Less Than That. According to Data USA, Congressional District 5 in North Carolina had a median household income of $58,753 in 2023 — meaning Foxx blocked overtime protections for workers earning at or near her own district's median income, while voting for a tax law that overwhelmingly benefits earners making four times as much. [Data USA, Viewed 2/16/26]
North Carolina's Food Banks Said They Cannot Fill The Gap From SNAP Cuts Foxx Voted For. According to WUNC, Jason Kanawati Stephany, vice president of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC, stated that "'four out of every five households...participate in SNAP because there are children, people with...seniors in the household.'" He noted that for every one meal food banks provided, "'SNAP provides nine,'" making it impossible for charitable food systems to compensate for federal cuts. [WUNC, 7/2/25]