Political Quotes

“That is correct. Again, here it is not a question of sort of dumping the money out there. Localities have to apply for it. You have to ask for it. If you ask for it, there is only a small chance you may actually get it. I would like to see us put in more resources. As my colleague from California points out, this program started as a $10 million program, but because of local mayors and county executives, the YMCAs, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the church-based organizations, the police, they said: Look, this works so well, we went from $10 million to $600 million. We are flattening that line out, and for 25 States and 7 districts we are dumping it all out on a roulette wheel. All I am saying is, in those pilot areas, carve this one out and let the localities apply directly. It reduces the amount of money in the pilot program by 5.7 percent. That is all. Those are not my numbers, those are numbers determined by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan organization that makes those calculations. So on the notion somehow that I am destroying the Straight A's Program, I am destroying this delicately balanced coalition here, I merely point out: I do not think 1,000 police chiefs, I don't think 2,500 YMCAs, I do not think Boys Clubs and Girls Clubs all across America are in the business of destroying here.”