On the recordMarch 19, 2013
I rise today to discuss tribal school construction funding--an issue that is central to the academic wellbeing and intellectual development of tribal children across the country. It goes without saying that all kids need clean, safe places to study. And making sure that every child gets a good education, in a safe, clean environment will benefit our economy and our society as a whole. Unfortunately, many Indian kids attending schools run by the Bureau of Indian Education are forced to study in aging facilities that should be replaced. As Senators, we have responsibilities to all children in our States to ensure that they all have access to safe and clean school buildings. The Federal Government has a particular responsibility to the tribes that includes taking care of tribal schools. That is why I offered an amendment to the continuing resolution with Senators Tom Udall, Tim Johnson, Klobuchar, Heitkamp, and Heinrich, to secure funding for tribal school buildings that need to be replaced. In these times of tight budgets, everyone is making sacrifices. Programs across the Federal Government are forced to make difficult cuts and to do more with less. School construction is one small but vital program that I believe should continue to be funded. I was disappointed that the administration's fiscal year 2013 budget did not include funding for Indian school replacement construction.…
