Byron Dorgan: “The Senator from Washington chooses an inappropriate example to begin with, the highway system. We provide Federal money…”

“The Senator from Washington chooses an inappropriate example to begin with, the highway system. We provide Federal money to the State of Washington. But if I go to Washington and drive on roads that are constructed in the State of Washington by his State highway officials with Federal money, I know I am not going to drive on a roadbed of marshmallows or cork. Why? Because his highway officials must follow the Federal prescribed rules about what kind of highways they are going to build with those Federal funds. My only point is, if the Senator from Washington suggests that if, for example, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program is not a national priority, let's give them the money for it but not require them to do it, I think that is a huge step backwards. Is it in most instances the case that people closer to the problem can spend the money more effectively? Absolutely. That is why almost all of elementary and secondary education is done and managed and controlled locally. But there are some programs of national interest for which we provide the financing and for which we hope there is a national purpose and to which we will have all school districts subscribe. That is the purpose for all this.”