Political Quotes

“I want to respond to the legitimate point the Senator from Montana has raised. It is true teachers can deduct unreimbursed expenses--theoretically. The problem is, most teachers don't make enough money to itemize. So most of them do not get the benefit of the itemized deduction that would allow them to write off unreimbursed expenses. In addition, even those who itemize have to reach a 2-percent floor of their income in order to claim the deduction. So for the vast majority of our Nation's teachers, these are unreimbursed expenses for which there is no tax deduction at all. We have to remember that we are talking about teachers who are not well paid. I agree with the Senator from Montana that we should pay our teachers better. But we in the Senate can take a modest step by adopting this proposal to help our teachers who reach deep into their pockets to pay for classroom supplies and paper materials and pay for course work. Can't we take the small step to say thank you for their investment in our Nation's children? I think we can, Mr. President. I hope the Senate will adopt this amendment.”