Asa Hutchinson: “I have spoken several times on the Educational Opportunities Act, the legislation that the HELP Committee on which I…”

“I have spoken several times on the Educational Opportunities Act, the legislation that the HELP Committee on which I serve and Senator Wellstone serves has brought to the floor of the Senate. I will take a few moments to respond to the substitute proposal that has been offered by the Democrats under the leadership of Senator Kennedy. Senator Kennedy stressed that what he is offering is a break from the status quo. He is trying to distance himself from this inevitable and unavoidable label that has been attached to the Democratic approach which is, in fact, the defense of the status quo. While you can run from the label of status quo and try to say no, this is not the status quo, you cannot run from your own words. It was Senator Kennedy who said we have to stick with the tried and the tested. That is clearly an identification and defense of the existing model, the existing strategy, the existing approach we have used in this country for the last 35 years and one that has brought us to the current situation in American education and a situation that no one can, with a straight face, truly defend.”