[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 38 (Monday, September 22, 1997)]
[Pages 1345-1346]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Senate Action on the Gorton Amendment

September 16, 1997

    The vote by a narrow majority of the U.S. Senate to support the 
Gorton amendment undermines the bipartisan spirit of cooperation that is 
so vital to improving American education. At worst, this decision to 
block grant education programs is, as Secretary Riley said, a ``back-
door attempt to kill off the Department of Education.'' At best, the 
vote was a hasty, ill-considered decision that would have a serious 
impact on our schools.
    I welcome the Senate's overwhelming support for my proposal to offer 
States and communities voluntary national tests in fourth-grade reading 
and eighth-grade math. However, the adoption of the Gorton amendment 
less than 2 hours later eliminated the very funding needed to continue 
development of these tests.
    The Gorton amendment would halt many of our most successful efforts 
to improve education, including our efforts to get computers into every 
classroom, raise standards through Goals 2000, establish more charter 
schools, assist young people in making the transition from school to 
work, help parents and schools keep our children safe and drug-free, and 
create more opportunities to help immigrant children learn English and 
stay in school. The amendment would seriously harm the Title I program, 
which provides extra help to low-income students so they can master the 
basic skills of reading and math and reach high academic standards. It 
also undermines programs targeted to help gifted and talented students, 
support arts education, and promote exciting new efforts to create 
technology partnerships. Further, this amendment would slash funds used 
to help adults with severe disabilities obtain employment.
    This is not a vote, as some would suggest, about who controls public 
education. Rather it is a vote about whether the Federal Government will 
maintain its commitment to help local communities strengthen 
accountability and raise academic standards in basic skills, improve 
teaching and learning, assist parents and schools in keeping children 
safe and drug-free, promote public school choice

[[Page 1346]]

for parents and students, and prepare all of our students for the 21st 
century.
    The Department of Education has historically targeted its funding to 
schools that serve disadvantaged students. If the Gorton amendment 
became law, the wealthiest school districts would be the winners and the 
rest of our communities would inevitably be the losers.
    Politics must stop at the schoolhouse door. The Gorton amendment is 
unacceptable. I understand a similar provision may be offered in the 
House. Let me be clear. If necessary, I will use my veto power to make 
sure that no such provision becomes the law of the land.