I look forward to your testimony on the state of the economy and your thoughts on the short-term and long-run issues facing our economy.

I want to start with that.

For every dollar we invest in preschool, that dollar returns $7 just in public funds.

The President's Preschool for All proposal can be a game-changer in expanding access and quality.

Reforming and improving existing programs throughout our education system should take precedence over new initiatives.

the administration continues to propose more spending for new, untested programs.

Oh, yes it is. Oh, yes it is. By every measure it is worth it.

We have also acted to improve services for students with special needs.

Cutting education in that way would be a baffling, self-destructive move that would devastate efforts to improve our international competitiveness.

But if we invest in high-quality early childhood education--today less than 3 in 10 of our children have access to high-quality pre-K, and then we wonder why we have achievement gaps.

I want to see that money invested in kids who are being successful.

I don't see anything in the Constitution that really deals with education.

I have always been kind of a states' rights guy and I believe that the top quality of education really is affected at the state level, and more specifically, by the local school districts.

Many states have taken the bait, but a lot of the students and parents are really not very happy with this.

But I think members ought to understand that, you know, in the case of Common Core standards and assessments, this was a creation of the Governors; this wasn't a creation of the federal government.

We are concerned about how much money is going in them and is it being spent not only wisely but is it being abused?

I hope that we will be able to work out a long-term bipartisan support for student loan activity.

We need their participation--their full, informed participation in American society.