[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H3487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             PUBLIC EDUCATION IS A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Bowman) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BOWMAN. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to discuss my amendment to the 
fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, Rules Committee 
amendment No. 778.
  My amendment is very simple. It would reinvest $157 billion from our 
defense budget into our public education system.
  Many of my colleagues may balk at that number. However, I remind 
everyone that we spend more on our national defense than the next 10 
countries combined. We are secure as a nation in our military might 
because we have consistently supported the military industrial complex.
  Where we have neglected mightily is another pillar of our democracy, 
which is our education system and our public school system.
  As we continue to neglect our public schools, we are harming our most 
precious and most vulnerable resource, which is our Nation's children. 
Historically, this neglect is well-documented from redlining 
communities, underfunding public housing, underfunding green spaces, 
and underfunding schools in historically marginalized communities.
  Before coming to Congress, I had the pleasure and privilege of 
working in our public schools for 20 years. I served as an elementary 
school teacher in the South Bronx before becoming a high school 
guidance counselor and dean of students, where I served for 3\1/2\ 
years.
  Realizing that our schools weren't doing enough to unlock the 
unlimited potential of our kids, I wrote a proposal and opened up a 
public middle school in the northeast Bronx, where I served for 10\1/2\ 
years as its principal.
  Our mission as a school was simple: Listen to our students. Listen to 
our families. Respond to the community's needs because that is what is 
necessary to unlock the magic, magnificence, and brilliance of our 
kids. I scoured the Earth to find additional grants and resources to 
bring into our school.
  We didn't just invest in traditional curriculum, we invested in the 
holistic development of our kids. Now, what does that mean?
  That means that we made sure that we focused on language arts, we 
focused on mathematics, we focused on science, but we also focused on 
STEM and STEAM, music, the arts, play, gym, mental health supports, 
food security, adult education, and everything to ensure the full 
development of our students and support for their families.

  Mr. Speaker, I have to say to the House Chamber and to America, 
education, I argue, is the number one national security issue in our 
country. Because of historic miseducation, separation, and segregation 
across race and class, we continue to have these battles rooted in 
sexism, racism, and discrimination. We continue to have an economy that 
doesn't work for all Americans. When we invest in education, we invest 
in shared prosperity from rural America to urban America and everything 
in between.
  Imagine a Nation where every single child, regardless of learning 
style, background, or race had access and opportunity to the American 
Dream.
  When we invest in education, we have better healthcare, economic, and 
obviously, education outcomes. We deal with the issue of public safety. 
We deal with the issue of mass shooting. We deal with the issue of mass 
incarceration.
  Invest in our children. Invest in our schools. Let us stop neglecting 
this critical area. We need to invest in this space in order to save 
our democracy and take it to the next level.

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