Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I congratulate him on his great leadership as he has taken the helm as our Democratic ranking member on the Education and the Workforce Committee. Madam Chair, education is the single most important investment a nation can make in its future, a family can make in its children. Nothing returns more money to the Treasury than the investment in education, whether it is earliest childhood education, K-12, higher education, postgrad, lifetime learning; and nothing contributes more to the success of our children than education, which gives them a chance to succeed. That is why, in 1965, Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, one of the great pillars of President Johnson's war on poverty. President Johnson told the people who gathered for the bill signing: From our very beginnings as a nation, we have felt a fierce commitment to the ideal of education for everyone. It fixed itself into our democratic creed. The Republican legislation before us today makes a mockery of this legislation's legacy and hollows out the foundation of our democracy: an educated and empowered citizenry. Here is how. For the first time in more than 50 years, a majority of public school students in our country lives in poverty. Too many children are getting left behind. This Republican bill slams the door of opportunity for students who are striving to earn an education.…”