Judd Gregg: “To show the difference in its importance in the two different administrations and the impact it has on the special…”

“To show the difference in its importance in the two different administrations and the impact it has on the special education community in America, when President Bush came into office he did not suggest a zero increase, as President Clinton had in 1999. In the year 2000, he suggested a $1 billion increase. That $1 billion increase was in his first budget. He followed it up with another $1 billion increase in his second budget. So now he was up $2 billion. And then, in the year 2003, he has added another $1 billion increase. So he is now up $3 billion in 3 years, which is a 30-percent increase in just 3 years-- just in 3 years--over the funding baseline of special education. So the commitment from this administration has been there and at a level which is historic and has had a dramatic impact in the funding needs of the special education children of America. The practical implication is that the Federal Government's role has now gone from about a 6-percent commitment to special education to around 20 percent.”