Steny Hoyer: “this title of the bill is education. Americans believe strongly in education, and everybody on this floor wants to…”

“this title of the bill is education. Americans believe strongly in education, and everybody on this floor wants to balance the budget. As a matter of fact, unlike the gentleman who just spoke, I voted to reduce the deficit by $500 billion in 1993. The gentleman did not. Whether conservative or liberal, all Americans believe in the American opportunity society. My parents wanted me to have a better life than they had. That is what I want for my three daughters, and, yes, for my granddaughter. The United States is a great Nation because we give people that opportunity, the opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their children. Education is the doorway through which American access that opportunity. But this appropriation bill is an all-out assault on the American opportunity society. The words opportunity society are meaningless if you do not have the education you need to compete in today's global marketplace. The word opportunity is meaningless if you cannot make a living wage and your kids cannot get a good education in school. Why are the Republicans waging this attack? The reason is not so they can bring that deficit down, I tell my friend, but so that we can take that money and shift it over to a tax cut for the wealthiest folks in America.”