Judd Gregg: “I find it really disheartening that the Members on the other side have decided to use this bill, which was bipartisanly…”

“I find it really disheartening that the Members on the other side have decided to use this bill, which was bipartisanly supported, was supported by the President, in order to make political points, not substantive points. The amendments which the other side is offering on this bill are not appropriate to this bill. They basically represent amendments which accomplish obfuscation and delay of what is a very good bill. The underlying bill will give local communities flexibility in how they deal with Federal regulations. I understand that some people on the other side of the aisle would like to have the ability to regulate and control and direct and have the input into how the day-to-day education should occur in our school systems. That happens to be their philosophy. They want to centralize decisions here in Washington. We want to take decisions and give them back to communities. Their reason for opposing this bill, by throwing out all these amendments, isn't that they actually think these amendments are substantively going to go anywhere. It is because they want to make a political statement, and because they want to slow down a bill which is a good idea and which releases the local school districts from the huge weight of Federal regulation.”