Timothy H. Bishop: “on Wednesday of last week, the Education and the Workforce Committee, of which I am a member, passed the single largest…”

“on Wednesday of last week, the Education and the Workforce Committee, of which I am a member, passed the single largest cut to student aid in history. By taking $15 billion out of the Federal aid programs, the Republican leadership proved again that its agenda is replete with misplaced priorities. When we had the choice to lift up a generation of young Americans by helping them achieve the dream of a college education, we chose instead to give more comfort to the already very comfortable. Our differences are profound. It appears that so are our values and what we perceive to be America's priorities. Future generations of Americans are entitled to a basic education, but they will not be able to afford it after we reconcile how to pay for the hurricane damage, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and even two more tax cuts that have not yet begun to take effect and will not even benefit 97 percent of American families. Madam Speaker, we cannot afford to hold sacred the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the values, priorities, or needs of the middle class. Americans deserve better. ____________________”