Paul Tonko: “Representative Garamendi, as you talk about the loss in any given year where a student may lose the opportunity in the…”

“Representative Garamendi, as you talk about the loss in any given year where a student may lose the opportunity in the classroom because of these cuts that are significant to education, that is one measurement; but let me suggest another. We see aggressive investment going on around the world in emerging powers out there, nations competing with us in that global marketplace on clean energy, innovation, an ideas economy. An ideas economy is a robust opportunity for a sophisticated Nation like ours; but it requires commitment, commitment to investment, investment in education. We take that intellectual capacity, and we make it work. We did that in the space race of the 1960s. President Kennedy, a rather youthful President in his time, offered a challenge to America, offered a challenge in a way that enabled us to invest in research, that enabled us to win the global race in space. That was an unleashing of technology in all told sectors of the economy and from every perspective of quality of life that was enhanced by the investments that were made.”