Elijah Cummings: “the Labor-HHS Education Appropriations bill (H.R. 3010) that we are considering today is a sad reflection of Congress'…”

“the Labor-HHS Education Appropriations bill (H.R. 3010) that we are considering today is a sad reflection of Congress' commitment to our Nation, as it represents a gross underfunding of key domestic priorities as well as widens the disparities gap. Access to an affordable, high-quality, public education helps save our children and generations yet unborn from the clutches of poverty, crime, drugs, and hopelessness. I would ask what could be more important or more necessary than to make sure that those who wish to better themselves through a high quality education are able to achieve that goal unobstructed by the barriers of financial disadvantage? Regrettably, this bill would close the door of opportunity to more students by providing the smallest increase in education funding in 10 years. Specifically, H.R. 3010 eliminates 24 important education programs. It freezes funding for after school centers, maintains the broken promise of IDEA full funding, and underfunds Title I by $9.9 billion below the investment promised in NCLB, leaving 3 million needy children to struggle without the academic assistance we pledged to provide. Despite the need to expand the affordability of higher education, this bill would provide only a paltry $50 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award. Mr. Chairman, I am also deeply troubled by the fact that this bill fails to move America in a direction in which being a minority is not a mortality factor.…”