[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 24, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H814]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               EDUCATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California [Ms. Woolsey] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, there's more than meets the eye when we 
hear the Republicans talking about their plans to keep the Government 
running through the rest of the year.
  Their latest plan is to introduce a new temporary spending bill each 
month to keep the Government running.
  That plan might not appear too bad at first to the public but when 
the American people take a closer look they'll quickly see that this 
month-by-month approach will leave our schools and teachers with the 
two main ingredients for disaster--too little time and too little 
money!
  Right now is the time of year when schools--elementary schools, high 
schools, and colleges--begin to plan for the next school year which, in 
case my friends on the other side of the aisle have forgotten, begins 
in September.
  Schools can't wait until the new fiscal year to hire teachers, buy 
books and computers, and repair damaged buildings.
  If we don't pass a year-long appropriation, elementary and secondary 
schools won't know how many teachers they can afford to hire. They 
won't be able to plan special programs. Students at postsecondary 
schools could be hurt even more by the Republican strategy. If Congress 
does not set the maximum amount for Pell grants, colleges and 
universities won't be able to figure how much financial aid their 
eligible students will get.
  Even worse, students won't know if they will receive the financial 
aid they need to go to college.
  That's not how we should be treating our Nation's students.
  But, on top of robbing our schools and students of crucial planning 
time, the new majority month-to-month approach to governing is going to 
rob them of crucial funding.
  Let me make it clear. If the Gingrich Republicans continue to fund 
education at the level in the continuing resolution that is set to 
expire this week, education will be cut by a total of $3.1 billion 
below last year.
  And that, my friends, will be the largest cut to education in the 
history of this country.
  You have to wonder what they are thinking on the other side of the 
aisle. At a time when numerous polls show that improving the quality of 
public education is the top priority for Americans, the Gingrich 
Republicans are planning to cut funding for education more than it has 
ever been cut before.
  The Gingrich Republicans' sneaky assault on education, however, 
shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone because the new majority has 
already passed some of the most antieducation legislation I have ever 
seen.
  Just take a look at the education budget for 1996 which the House has 
already approved.
  This terrible bill cuts: Head Start, Chapter One, Safe and Drug-free 
Schools, School-to-Work, and vocational and adult education.
  In all, it cuts education by 13 percent in 1 year alone--13 percent.
  But that's nothing compared to what they want to do to our education 
system over the next 7 years.
  The new majority's 7-year budget plan would deny Head Start to 
180,000 children by 2002.
  It eliminates Goals 2000, which helps schools meet higher national 
standards and increase parental involvement.
  It kills Americorps, which has provided thousands of Americans with 
college tuition assistance in exchange for community service.
  And, it cuts in half the President's program aimed at helping schools 
bring technology into the classroom.
  Under their budget, my State of California alone will lose, among 
other things, $1 billion for the School Lunch Program, and over 181,000 
Californians will be denied participation in the cost-effective Direct 
Student Loan Program.
  My friends, that's the wrong direction, and that's not the way we are 
supposed to be taking care of our children.
  Mr. Speaker, we can balance the budget, but it does not have to be on 
the back of our children and their education.
  As the President talked about in his speech last night, we can 
continue to move this Nation forward without leaving those who depend 
on Government the most--our children and their education--behind.
  Let's stop playing politics with our Nation's schools and students. 
They need time to plan, and they need adequate funding to meet the 
growing needs of our students.
  I urge my colleagues to pass a clean continuing resolution 
immediately that ensures that our schools can do their jobs, so that 
our children are prepared for the challenges of the next century.

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