[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 177 (Thursday, November 9, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H12069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           EDUCATION FUNDING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. Clayton] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, if young people are the gateway to the 
future--and they are--education is the key to gaining access through 
those gates.
  Many young people in America have made a choice--a choice to get an 
education, to get a job, and to pursue a career--a choice that gives 
them a chance.
  The Republican Party now wants to take that chance from them--to take 
their choice.
  Last year, millions of students held jobs under work study, got low 
interest loans, did not have the burden of paying interest on their 
loans while in school, and received grants.
  Many will not have those opportunities next year.
  In total, over the next 7 years, more than $10 billion will be taken 
from college students and given to the wealthiest Americans. They call 
these cuts a savings.
  I call it a tragic loss for America's future.
  What is education? Education is knowledge. Education is development. 
Education is knowledge and development acquired through a process.
  The process is one that takes time, and it takes a commitment of 
resources. Since the process of education is a necessary path to good 
citizenship, then it is clear why, here in Washington, in the Congress, 
we are making the fight to preserve education.
  However, rather than promoting education some have an extreme 
agenda--obstructing education.
  They go too far in cutting Head Start by $137 million--abandoning 
180,000 children nationwide and almost 4,000 in North Carolina.
  Healthy Start is being cut by 52 percent--exposing infants and 
children, in the very dawn of their lives, to the perils of infant 
mortality and other threats.
  Children can not learn if they are hungry--yet the Republicans are 
cutting $10 billion from nutrition programs, including the school lunch 
program. This is not promoting education.
  Title I is being cut by $1.1 billion--denying critical basic and 
advanced skills assistance to 1.1 million students nationwide and 
20,500 students in North Carolina. Twenty-two million dollars of title 
I funds will be cut from North Carolina next year.
  They go too far in cutting Drug Free School funding by 59 percent--
this program is currently used by 129 of the 129 school districts--and 
almost a million children in North Carolina.
  The program is designed to keep crime, violence, and drugs away from 
students and out of our schools. And, the Republican majority wants to 
gut the program.
  The Goals 2000 Program is completely eliminated--381 schools in North 
Carolina will be denied this vital program.
  And, more than 40 States have already signed onto Goals 2000, seeking 
higher standards for our schools.
  Despite the Republicans, we have a chance through education and 
training to build a better and brighter future through our young 
people.
  Young people are the gateway to the future--education is the key to 
gaining access through those gates.

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