Don Nickles: “first I would like to compliment my colleague and friend from Iowa for his work on AmeriCorps. I hope that the American…”

“first I would like to compliment my colleague and friend from Iowa for his work on AmeriCorps. I hope that the American people realize, according to the General Accounting Office, that the cost per beneficiary is $27,000. The Senator from Iowa has been very diligent in trying to awaken America to this enormously expensive program. It is a new program. I understand it is one of President Clinton's favorite programs, but it is enormously expensive-- enormously expensive. So I compliment my colleague from Iowa for bringing it to the attention of this country, and, hopefully, we can stop wasting taxpayers' money and maybe do a better job either through the student loan program or Pell grants and help lots of people go to school and obtain a college education instead of a few select receiving benefits in the $20,000-to-$30,000 category.”