[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 24, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H808-H810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CUTS IN EDUCATION FUNDING COULD RESULT IN HUMAN DEFICIT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Vento] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, our children's future is at risk as the 
Republican Congress is defunding education. I very much agree with my 
colleague from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone, and his comments about 
education, especially higher education.
  The initial 7-year budget plan, in fact, sliced $10 billion out of 
the higher education loan and grant programs. Now, since then, some of 
the message has gotten through and that has not persisted in the final 
version of the budget. But, nevertheless, they in fact deauthorized the 
direct lending program, which will indeed mean that the dollars do not 
go as far in terms of 

[[Page H809]]
loans and, second, they reduce in essence the Pell grants to fewer 
recipients. Furthermore, there is a cutback on the work-study programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to recognize for anyone, and for 
my colleagues, that Federal higher education assistance is the total 
package for many students. And with the unavailability of jobs today, 
it is not possible to work and go to school as so many of us have done 
to achieve and to gain our education.
  Mr. Speaker, more importantly, of course, which has not been 
highlighted, are the dramatic cuts that have occurred in elementary and 
secondary education. Mr. Speaker, it has been 20 years since I taught 
science in Minneapolis, but I can tell you that the problems that 
science teachers in 1996 face are much more serious than what I faced 
in 1976.
  The fact is that the kids coming into those classrooms today are much 
more disadvantaged. They are obviously coming from families, sometimes 
single families, families with less income. In fact, of course we know 
of the children in our Nation, almost 1 in 4 live below the poverty 
level. They do not have the resources and the support at home.
  The Federal programs in education tend to try to eliminate the 
valleys that exist in terms of kids that are more greatly at risk. The 
kids at risk, the kids that receive the sort of title I program, the 
kids that get the nutrition programs, that need the meals. I can tell 
my colleagues one thing, if kids do not eat in the morning they do not 
sit still to listen to someone even as forceful as I am. The fact is, 
in fact very often they are not aware and able to pay.
  The title I program goes well beyond this. In fact, what is happening 
and what this Congress is proposing, I hope my colleagues are 
listening, is a 17-percent cut, a 16- to 17-percent cut in title I 
education. And they are not cutting the increase. They are cutting the 
program 17 percent below in 1996 what was spent in 1995. So, we can 
eliminate that particular argument when we are talking about education.
  They are, of course, defunding Goals 2000. They are defunding or 
attempting to cut out the school-to-work programs. They are cutting out 
important programs. The President pointed out last night the Drug-free 
and Safe Schools Act, a 57-percent cut in a program of that nature.
  Now, we all know the problems that our youth are having. The problems 
in the communities with drugs come into the school. Here are the 
important programs like the D.A.R.E. Program that the President pointed 
out last night, and many, many other programs. Programs, in fact, in 
which almost every school district in our Nation participates are being 
cut in half by this particular budget. So, where are the priorities?
  Mr. Speaker, I point out frequently that we need the smart machines, 
we need the smart research, but we need the smart children and the 
workers to run these machines. Who is going to operate these fantastic 
military systems that my colleagues seem hellbent on spending money on? 
Who is going to run this particular equipment? The fact is we need to 
have a good education program. We are not going to get it, based on the 
direction that we are going in this budget.
  The American people, in almost any poll that we see, will suggest 
that education is one of their highest priorities. And why? Why does 
education persist in being a high priority? Because it deals with a 
core value of the people of this Nation and of families. It deals with 
the value and the concept that I want my kid, I want my grandchild, to 
do better and to have an opportunity to do better than I had.
  What is the road to success and what has been the American story and 
the American chapter? What is the chapter we have written? I would 
suggest to my colleagues it is that we have provided that opportunity 
to many, many children and to many kids in elementary and secondary 
where it counts. In nutrition, so the kid has the right type of growth 
so that he is not impaired by retardation because of lack of proteins 
in terms of sustenance and by lack of dollars.
  In total education, one aspect is the schools, but we must do much 
more to invest in people and that is where we need to focus our 
attention. Yes, we need a fiscal budget balance, but we also do not 
need a human deficit. That is where we are headed with the type of 
priorities that we are reflecting in this Congress today.
  Mr. Speaker, I submit the following for the Record:
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose initiatives proposed by the 
Republican majority that would work to drastically reduced our Nation's 
commitment to America's schools, students, parents, and educators. My 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle have spoken about the 
importance of investing in America, such as increasing our savings 
rate, supporting our Nation's infrastructure, and creating jobs that 
are able to support our Nation's working families. However, one type of 
investment that their budget plans ignore is an investment in our 
nation's most vital resource, our young children.
  Previous versions of the Republican 7 yr budgets sliced $10 billion 
from higher education loans and other programs some of that has been 
restored. But funding restrictions persist for direct lending Pell 
grants and work study. Federal support largely makes up the total 
higher education assistance package for students.
  Without investing in the education and training of our citizens, 
these other investment initiatives cannot succeed. People are the 
driving force behind America's success. It is our Nation's people, 
through hard work and dedication, that allows technology and 
infrastructure to enhance our quality of life and maintain our Nation's 
competitive edge in the global economy. And it will be the skills and 
knowledge of future generations that will allow those generations to 
maintain America's place as a global leader. We need smart machines, 
i.e., the computers, and the smart research and creative ideas, but all 
this and more is based upon smart workers and that comes about because 
of schooling and more broadly education, total education.
  For these reasons, education is consistently considered a top 
priority for the Nation and a priority that Congress should take 
seriously. The funding cuts being proposed by the Republican majority 
do not take this responsibility seriously, in fact, Republican budget 
proposals relinquish that responsibility altogether.

  One of the most obvious examples of this abandonment of a reasoned 
commitment to education is the reduction in funds proposed for 
elementary and secondary education programs fundamental to the success 
of our most vulnerable students. One such program, which has been 
targeted for a 16-percent funding cut under the misguided Republican 
budget plan, is the title I program. Title I provides additional 
academic assistance to those students who have fallen behind or are at 
risk of falling behind academically. These children are also part of 
moderate and low-income families that often lack the network of support 
and enrichment that contributes to successful education and schooling.
  Unfortunately, more and more children in our Nation are at risk, 
therefore, the need for such help is greater than in past years. The 
single parent families, the low levels of income means that nearly 1 in 
4 children live below the established poverty level of minimum income.
  In the Twin Cities, title I funds are used to provide these students 
extra time with teachers and to promote parental involvement in their 
schools. These funds also support efforts to educate homeless children, 
sending educators to homeless shelters so that these children have the 
opportunity to learn and succeed. As with many other types of 
investment, investing early is the key. Providing extra assistance to 
students before small problems become big ones is easier and less 
expensive and ensures that those students are able to get the most out 
of future school years.
  Another example is the defunding by the Congress this past year of 
the Safe and Drug Free Schools Program, assisting nearly every school 
system across the country, is slated for a 57-percent cut by the 
Republican budget scheme--including under funding of the D.A.R.E. 
Program included in this program. This program has become increasingly 
important as drugs and violence are increasingly present among our 
Nation's youth. We must maintain our commitment to help educators keep 
their hallways free from drugs, gangs and violence and give all 
students a safe environment in which to learn. The safe and drug free 
school law and funding provides for the instruction about the negative 
impacts of these activities early and giving students alternatives to 
these types of lifestyles is an important part of ensuring not only 
students' academic success, but their prosperity after graduation as 
well.
  Funding cuts have also been proposed for programs such as educators 
professional development, the very successful Head Start Program, and 
vocational education which cuts would compound the problems for schools 
already trying to do more with less. Similarly, school to work 
initiatives are short changed by 

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this Republican budget an innovative new effort to empower education 
and schooling with new dynamic programs responsive to the current needs 
of our constituents. School systems and educators should not be forced 
to choose which students receive the aid they require and which must go 
without that assistance. All students must have the opportunity to 
succeed, and it is the responsibility of Congress to join with 
localities and States to ensure that each student receives a quality 
education. The budget package proposed by the Republican majority in 
Congress falls very short of the investment needed to ensure that our 
students are receiving the help they require to succeed and prosper 
today and tomorrow.

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