Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation. Let me again thank our chairman, Ed Royce, for his leadership; and I want to acknowledge my good friend and neighbor from New York, Nita Lowey, who authored this bill and has long been a champion for expanding access to education not just here in the United States, but around the world. Mr. Speaker, a recent report from the United Nations tells us that, around the world, more than 260 million young people are not in school. That is 260 million, a staggering amount. Millions more are only able to gain a substandard education. We cannot overstate the importance of getting young people off to a good start by getting them into the classroom. Every year of primary school increases an individual's earning potential by 5 to 15 percent. More educated populations are healthier and more productive, so it is a win all the way around. Promoting access to education isn't about helping young people reaching their potential. It is also about enhancing security and stability. For every year a young man spends in school, the likelihood of him becoming involved in violence and extremism drops by 20 percent. In places like Afghanistan and South Sudan, where roughly half of the children are not in school, we know that violent extremists and others are only too happy to provide a rotten alternative for these vulnerable young people.…”