Lynn C. Woolsey: “for the past 5 years, the administration has underfunded the No Child Left Behind Act to the tune of more than $50…”

“for the past 5 years, the administration has underfunded the No Child Left Behind Act to the tune of more than $50 billion. This has robbed millions of children of the education they will need to succeed in the 21st century, and it is robbing America of the brain power we need to stay competitive in the global economy. Those of us who believe it's a bad idea to shortchange our kids and our Nation begged the administration to fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act, but our pleas were ignored. That is one of the reasons I was so outraged last week when the White House requested $46 billion in supplemental funding for its occupation of Iraq. That $46 billion, Madam Speaker, is almost identical to the amount that the administration has underfunded No Child Left Behind. In fact, the administration announced its request at a press conference. In that one short press conference, they asked for virtually the same amount for Iraq that it has been denying to our Nation's schools for nearly 6 years.”