Xavier Becerra: “here in today's newspaper, USA Today, ``Nation rates average in school reform,''. Only ``average''. Yet today we will…”

“here in today's newspaper, USA Today, ``Nation rates average in school reform,''. Only ``average''. Yet today we will debate a bill that cuts education dramatically. It cuts the money that we provide schools to help kids who need help, doing math and reading, because they are behind. We are eliminating a program that actually helps us get schools reformed, eliminating the program that helps 44 million students. We are eliminating 27 percent of funding for vocational education. We are eliminating $137 million for Head Start Programs for our kids. We are cutting in half Healthy Start Program moneys. We are eliminating $286 million for safe and drug-free schools, to make sure our kids have a safe environment to go to. At the same time we are doing this--the Gingrich Republicans are axing education funding, not only are they doing that, but they are adamant about giving corporations and the wealthiest of Americans $20,000 in tax cuts and at the same time they are adding $8 billion to the defense budget, which the Department of Defense did not even request. Wrong-headed is the word.”