Elijah Cummings: “What we are addressing here and the reason we called our budget "Investing in America While Ensuring Fiscal…”

“What we are addressing here and the reason we called our budget "Investing in America While Ensuring Fiscal Responsibility" is that we believe very strongly in a balanced budget. We believe very strongly that we must address the issues of terrorism. It is very significant and very important to us. But at the same time, we do believe that we need to take care of Americans right here at home. Many of our members in the Congressional Black Caucus look at our schools, and we are extremely concerned. That is why we spent a phenomenal amount of time and put a lot of emphasis on No Child Left Behind to make sure that it is properly funded, because we want those children to have a future. I have often said that our children are the living messages we send to a future we will never see. We want to make sure they go into that future well educated, well prepared, and well ready to take on the many opportunities that will be before them. We also make sure that we secure funding for initiatives such as the COPS program because we realize that our neighborhoods have to be safe in order for people to live the best lives that they can. Again, we look at the budget from the standpoint of this, and it is a very simple thing, Mr. Chairman. It simply is that we have one life to live.”