Political Quotes

“I rise today with Senator Cochran and others to introduce legislation that will build on one of the best service success stories of the last quarter century: AmeriCorps. Fifteen years ago, as he swore in the first class of AmeriCorps members, President Bill Clinton said, ``When it is all said and done, it comes down to three simple questions: What is right? What is wrong? And what are we going to do about it?'' Since that time, more than a half-million AmeriCorps members have taken it upon themselves to try and answer those questions in communities across this country. They have done so by serving in a variety of settings from senior centers and veterans' hospitals to schools and afterschool programs. They have helped clean up our neighborhoods and rebuilt our houses. These members have sacrificed their time and energy to meet the fundamental needs of our nation. Last year alone, 75,000 AmeriCorps members gave back to our communities, serving in over 4,000 schools, faith-based and community organizations, and nonprofits across the country. They also brought reinforcements--recruiting another 1.7 million community volunteers to work alongside them. Because of AmeriCorps, our communities have been strengthened, and our democracy fortified. Unfortunately, as the hours AmeriCorps members have contributed to our communities have increased, the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award created to help members pay for their college tuition has remained flat at $4,725.”