Political Quotes

“There are about 40 million Americans today who have gotten some student loan or grant assistance from the Federal Government to further their educations. Some 40 million Americans have gotten this, whether it is the GI bill, Perkins, or some other program, direct loan, through the Federal Government, sponsored by the Federal Government, whatever. Think, if the Government had not been involved in any of these, the GI bill or the student loans of any kind, or Perkins or whatever, think how many of those 40 million would not be able to contribute to the community the way they are doing. They are scientists, teachers, nurses, people who are working as electricians, people doing all kinds of things to make this society a better place. If we had not provided those loans from the 1940's on, or those grants from the 1940's on, where would we be as a society? For us, all in the name, as Mr. Hinchey said, in order to give tax breaks to the richest people in those countries, the only way to pay for those tax breaks, as the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pallone] has said on the floor, would be to cut Medicare, cut student loans. It is unconscionable.”