Roy Cooper: “I thank the gentlewoman for her terrific leadership in the Strength in Diversity Act. I am afraid the gentlewoman from…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for her terrific leadership in the Strength in Diversity Act. I am afraid the gentlewoman from North Carolina completely misunderstood my amendment. My amendment would allow the 30 school districts that were prevented from applying for the Opening Doors, Expanding Opportunities grant--it would just give them the first shot at reapplying. It does not guarantee acceptance for these 30 school districts but, rather, gives them a first shot at correcting the racial injustices in their districts. It is very sad that Secretary DeVos' first action in office was to cut this critical program, so this offers an opportunity to right that wrong. I want to commend, again, the gentlewoman from Ohio for her terrific leadership on this bill. I would like to thank Chairman Scott, Bobby Scott, the head of the whole committee. I would also like to thank Barbara Lee for her critical support of this amendment.”