Donna Edwards: “Thank you to the chairman for your leadership and your vision. I rise today in strong support of the work that you have…”

“Thank you to the chairman for your leadership and your vision. I rise today in strong support of the work that you have put in on America COMPETES. It's legislation that's going to usher in a new era of scientific and economic leadership and prosperity for the country. In particular, I want to highlight an amendment I authored that will give special consideration to high-needs schools and underrepresented teachers and minorities when determining STEM fellowship grants. My colleagues, we often come together to discuss the importance of education, laying the groundwork for economic prosperity. And here, America COMPETES is an important step forward to laying that foundation, to ensuring that opportunities provided in this legislation will be available to all of our young people, regardless of race or economic circumstance. This is a game changer; not a Hail Mary pass but a playoff strategy for the future and for the long term success of our children. And we need all of these players on the field. So today let's put our shared sentiments into action, send America COMPETES to the President's desk so we can continue to generate economic competitiveness, creating high-wage jobs, and educating and preparing all our young people for the future.”