John Tierney: “I am shocked, but pleasantly shocked, pleasantly shocked to hear the other side of the aisle finally stepping up to the…”

“I am shocked, but pleasantly shocked, pleasantly shocked to hear the other side of the aisle finally stepping up to the plate and saying that rather than shut down the Department of Education, they understand that there is a Federal commitment to do something to raise the level and to raise the bar. I was listening to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) speak about making Pell Grants an entitlement, and I thought maybe we would need some armed guards over here to stop all of our friends and colleagues from the other side rushing over and signing onto that legislation as cosponsors. But I trust that really will not be a problem. In fact, I asked some members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce who have been there for quite some time to search back in their historical perspective to see if there ever was an occasion when the current majority proposed more money for Pell Grants, to raise the authorization for Pell Grants, that the Democrats were not first in line to be there and do that. They could remember none.”