[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 145 (Tuesday, October 13, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H10672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REPUBLICAN CONGRESS IS COASTING

  (Mr. VENTO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, after doing half a job, this Congress for the 
past year has been coasting. Here we are, almost 15 days beyond, two 
weeks beyond the fiscal year and the budget matters are not being 
addressed. For these 10 months, bills and proposals that the President 
put on the table and the Democrats have been pushing on education and 
investing in people have been languishing. There has been no response.
  The Republicans in Congress have said no!
  The only Republicans Congress response is to pass some window 
dressing bills in terms of authorization, then to turn around and not 
even put the money into the appropriation bills that would fund those 
important education programs. I think it is time to offer real money 
for school to put the dollars behind the rhetoric in school 
construction, to offer more than just duck tape and lip service to deal 
with the worn out facilities that our children are supposed to be 
taught with in and learning. I think it is time to put teachers in the 
classroom and provide smaller class size, the type of quality 
assistance that our children need today more than ever.
  This generation deserves the same investment that past generations 
had and that others in this country had. Our children are our future. 
Education is the ticket to success and opportunity in our democracy. 
Let us vote for these education programs and initiatives.

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