Bob Menendez: “Mr. Chairman, let me just say--at this point, Mr. Menendez addressed the House in Spanish. For those who did not catch…”

“Mr. Chairman, let me just say--at this point, Mr. Menendez addressed the House in Spanish. For those who did not catch that, I simply said that those of you who do not understand what I am saying might not be able to help American businesses compete in many of the world's emerging markets, such as Mexico, under NAFTA. It is not about Spanish, it is about a diversity of languages and the customs and cultures of doing business worldwide. Chevrolet learned that when they tried to introduce the Chevy Nova in Latin America. If Members know what 'Nova' means in Spanish, basically it means 'it does not move,' it will not go. Imagine marketing a car that simply would not move. America's diversity is what makes it uniquely qualified to compete in the global economy. Is it not ironic, then, that some of the most ardent boosters of global trade are here on the floor today, trying to cut off that resource, by putting an end to bilingual education? While the whole world seems to be moving together toward a truly global village, only here in America do we consider moving backward. We consider retreating from our diversity, to imprison ourselves in our monolingualism. The bilingual education program is one of our most successful, because it makes sense. There is no question that immigrants to the United States are better off once they learn English.”