Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the public schools in Macomb and Oakland Counties. In between votes earlier this week, I hosted a Zoom call with the superintendents in my district. I was struck by how much they figured out in such a short time about operating a school during a pandemic. Educators are nimble and creative. They are used to doing a lot with a little. The PPE, the cleaning, the social distancing, the technology needs, and the social and emotional health, they are up for figuring it all out on top of already having one of the hardest jobs there is. The problem is, they don't have a fraction of the resources they need to put their plans into place. While they have spent their summer days and probably fitful nights determining how to keep their students, educators, and other school professionals safe, this administration has offered no plan other than: Reopen or else. As a father of four, as a lifetime advocate for and product of public schools, as a union organizer with worker safety top of mind, and as a human being with compassion and common sense, I am calling on the Senate to offer a real plan in this next relief package, one that acknowledges that we must contain this pandemic and provide schools with the resources they need to reopen safely. It has been nearly 10 weeks since the House passed the HEROES Act to put us on a path required to reengage our schools and the economy as a whole safely. Mr.…”