Tom Harkin: “here we go again. The budget resolution goes about balancing the budget in all the wrong ways by placing education at…”

“here we go again. The budget resolution goes about balancing the budget in all the wrong ways by placing education at the bottom of the Nation's priority list once again. I am pleased to cosponsor and support the Kerry amendment. The amendment puts education at the top of the national priority list by restoring funds for vital education and training programs over the next 6 years. The amendment eliminates the cuts in the budget resolution and provides the investments to education and training as proposed by President Clinton. You will hear a lot of talk from the other side that they provide increases in education. Make sure you look beyond the blue smoke and mirrors because it is simply not true. Just a few weeks ago we reversed deep education cuts by restoring $2.7 billion to the fiscal year 1996 education appropriations bill. However, the pending resolution does not include this restoration in the baseline, therefore we are right back where we started from. Unless we adopt this amendment not only there will be no real investments in education, but there will be cuts over even the inadequate fiscal year 1996 levels. And our Nation will suffer as a result. Mr. President, during the last year students, parents, teachers, school boards, and school administrators were treated to a roller coaster ride because of great uncertainties caused by the Federal budget process. Let's not repeat that mistake again this year.”