Louis Stokes: “I just want to echo the same comment the gentleman has just made. I think the author of the amendment should realize…”

“I just want to echo the same comment the gentleman has just made. I think the author of the amendment should realize that we have just been able to defeat an amendment which would have taken all of the money out of AmeriCorps. We won, but we did not win by such a margin that four or five other people who have amendments to reduce funding in AmeriCorps have not been dissuaded from offering their amendments. I would think in light of that, the gentleman from Louisiana having made his point here, that he would consider what the chairman has said in terms of realizing that this is not the type of amendment to take all the way to a vote. I think the gentleman has made his point, it is a good point. This is certainly an excellent program, but we have to consider all the circumstances here and we have to remember that last year when this bill came in, it was zeroed out. There was no funding. Of course after a veto of the bill, we did put $400 million in for AmeriCorps, and in this bill there is $365 million. So I think the chairman has gone a long way in trying to work out funding for this program in a House where there are some people who do not want this program.”