John Bel Edwards: “more than slogans, sound bites and speeches, far more important for Members of Congress is what we do when it comes to…”

“more than slogans, sound bites and speeches, far more important for Members of Congress is what we do when it comes to expressing our values. What we do in this budget will say more about the values of Members of Congress than any speech given on the floor of the House this year. It is interesting and it is sad that while last week we honored Rosa Parks as the first woman in American history to lie in state in the Rotunda of our Nation's Capitol, just a few days later, this House leadership will dishonor all that she stood for. How? By cutting child support, by cutting foster family programs, by cutting 40,000 students off of school lunch programs, by robbing $14.3 billion from student financial aid to give our hard-working, high-achieving youth a chance for better life through a college education, and by cutting health care programs for low-income families. Rosa Parks did not just fight for a seat on the bus. She fought for fairness for every American, and to see that every child has a chance, a fair chance, to reach his or her highest God-given potential. This legislation is an attack upon those high principles. The mean- spirited cuts in this bill will hurt decent, hard-working American families who are doing their best to help their children have a better life. {time} 1415 Why? Not to pay for Hurricane Katrina costs.…”