Political Quotes

“I thank the Senators from Maine and Alaska for their comments, as well as the Senator from Washington State. Wasn't it impressive that for the last hour, from both sides of the aisle, the women of the Senate have spoken out. Yet this bill is not a woman's bill. This is a family bill, where the men and women of the Senate came together on a bipartisan basis and have developed a framework for a sensible, affordable reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. I am so pleased to be a part of this with Senator Harkin, chairman of the health and education committee, Senator Lamar Alexander, and Senator Richard Burr, my counterpart on the subcommittee, where we worked so hard to do this. We the women of the Senate often joke, but it is no laughing matter when we say we work on the macro issues of our economy and of our national security. But we also work on the macaroni and cheese issues affecting America's families, and there is no bigger macaroni and cheese issue than general education, and of course early childhood education, which occurs both in the home--remember, the first teachers are always the family--and then childcare. With now more than 40 percent of American women in the workforce, childcare is indeed a compelling issue. Childcare is one of the most important decisions a parent can make in raising their child.…”