Paul Tonko: “Absolutely. The 21st Congressional District of New York, in the capital region, Mohawk Valley of upstate New York, hosts…”

“Absolutely. The 21st Congressional District of New York, in the capital region, Mohawk Valley of upstate New York, hosts the original infrastructure of the Erie and Barge Canals, the route that gave birth to a necklace of communities called mill towns that became the epicenters of invention and innovation that inspired a westward movement, that inspired an industrial revolution. {time} 1930 That pioneer spirit is the DNA of America. Give us the opportunity to invest in ideas, and we turn that into manufacturing and we go forward. But it begins and ends with a quality workforce. And the cuts proposed in Head Start, with a quarter of a million children being denied Head Start opportunities, the huge cuts to title I funding to get resources to our schools, especially those in most difficult situations, would destroy the workforce of the future. Without investment in education, there is not a strong and vibrant workforce that can continue to carry our strength as a Nation in this global economy. So that is a start. And then also, I have witnessed in my region, where we're the third- fastest growing hub in this Nation for science and tech jobs, high tech jobs, that when you start cutting away at R&D, you're going to destroy the opportunity that we have as we continue to cluster with these science and tech-related jobs.”