[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 194 (Tuesday, December 18, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H16649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 FINAL OMNIBUS BILL IS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OVER THE PRESIDENT'S 
                             BUDGET REQUEST

  (Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, last night this House acted in bipartisan 
fashion to reject some of the President's harmful budget cuts to 
important education programs. Had this Congress simply rubber-stamped 
President Bush's budget, education funding would have been slashed by 
$1.2 billion, including a 50 percent cut in vocational education and 
the elimination of every student aid program except Pell Grants and 
Work Study.
  This House rejected those cuts. Instead, we invest $767 million more 
than the President's request for K-12 education, including targeted 
increases in special education, teacher quality grants, after-school 
programs and Head Start. We invested $575 million above the President's 
budget for technical training in high schools and community colleges. 
And we provide $1.7 billion more than the President for Pell Grants and 
other student aid programs.
  Mr. Speaker, this new Democratic Congress has prioritized the needs 
of children and young adults by investing in their education so they 
can better compete in an ever-expanding global economy.

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