[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 110 (Tuesday, June 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E908]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    FY18 TRUMP BUDGET CUTS EDUCATION

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                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 27, 2017

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition of President 
Trump's proposed budget for the fiscal year 2018, specifically those 
within K-12 education.
   The President's budget proposal aims to cut education spending by 
13.5 percent. $9.2 billion dollars would be stripped from the federal 
education budget which would limit programs such as Title I, which 
provides targeted financial assistance to schools with high percentages 
of low-income students.
   The President's budget is narrowly focused on 10 percent of students 
enrolled in private and charter schools, while neglecting the 90 
percent enrolled in public schools. My job as a Member of Congress is 
to vote and be a voice for the constituents in my home state of 
Alabama. This budget will implement, and promote unproven programs such 
as charter schools and vouchers which will only benefit 10 percent of 
the student population and threaten public schools in my district.
  This budget proposal will not only extract money from the public-
school system, but will divert $1.4 billion dollars from already 
struggling public schools to unaccountable charter schools. Due to the 
lack of transparency within the charter schools and voucher system, it 
would appear as though school choice is a program that allows people to 
contribute to a charitable act to improve student's education. However, 
research has shown that the ``private'' schools that students would be 
sent to are often not accredited and the children's performance does 
not improve in these settings.
  Alabama has some of the lowest property taxes in the country and 
doesn't target any state and local funding to schools with a high need. 
For schools in low-income, rural districts like mine these 
disinvestments result in a heavy reliance on federal education dollars. 
President Trump's plan not only redirects money to private schools, but 
will also allow states more flexibility to control how local 
educational dollars are spent. This could be fatal for public schools 
across rural Alabama.
   The legacy I want to leave as Representative of the 7th 
Congressional District is to equip young people with the tools needed 
to succeed in the workforce. This is the chief reason I am concerned 
about the impact of the disinvestments in public schools and students 
proposed in President Trump's budget.

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