John Kerry: “My understanding is, $2.3 billion is for a new mandatory program that will not even be spent until the year 2005. That…”

“My understanding is, $2.3 billion is for a new mandatory program that will not even be spent until the year 2005. That leaves an immediate increase of $2.2 billion. But the Republican budget resolution also assumes the $700 million increase in Pell grants. That brings it up to the President's level. It claims the $2.6 billion increase for elementary and secondary education programs alone, of which $1 billion is reserved for the IDEA. That means you have supposedly a total of $3.3 billion specified for K through 12. But the resolution only allows for a $2.2 billion increase because you do not even have an expenditure permission until 2005 for $2.3 billion. So there is a lot of 'robbing Peter to pay Paul.' Is that not true?”