Political Quotes

“Maybe you remember the numbers. It is 39 different agencies with over 760 programs. In 1979 they recognized that they had a problem. We have too many programs and we have too many agencies dealing with education. We need to consolidate it in a Department of Education so that we really get a focus on education. I have another quote here. Secretary Rubin testified before the Committee on the Budget on March 11, 1997. At that hearing, I asked him who the point person is for education strategy in the administration. Mr. Rubin replied, ``I would say the President, who is enormously knowledgeable.'' So the President is the point person on education. He must be the point person on defense, foreign policy, welfare reform. The benchmark was consolidation and streamlining in 1979 and efficiency. In reality, we have continued to create more programs. We have continued to create and allow more agencies to deal with education and we have never consolidated the strategy at the Department of Education level. The creation of this new department will reduce the size of the bureaucracy.”