Bruce F. Vento: “our children's future is at risk as the Republican Congress is defunding education. I very much agree with my colleague…”

“our children's future is at risk as the Republican Congress is defunding education. I very much agree with my colleague from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone, and his comments about education, especially higher education. The initial 7-year budget plan, in fact, sliced $10 billion out of the higher education loan and grant programs. Now, since then, some of the message has gotten through and that has not persisted in the final version of the budget. But, nevertheless, they in fact deauthorized the direct lending program, which will indeed mean that the dollars do not go as far in terms of loans and, second, they reduce in essence the Pell grants to fewer recipients. Furthermore, there is a cutback on the work-study programs. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to recognize for anyone, and for my colleagues, that Federal higher education assistance is the total package for many students. And with the unavailability of jobs today, it is not possible to work and go to school as so many of us have done to achieve and to gain our education. Mr. Speaker, more importantly, of course, which has not been highlighted, are the dramatic cuts that have occurred in elementary and secondary education. Mr. Speaker, it has been 20 years since I taught science in Minneapolis, but I can tell you that the problems that science teachers in 1996 face are much more serious than what I faced in 1976. The fact is that the kids coming into those classrooms today are much more disadvantaged.”