Jeff Merkley

Those services are not mandated, that is an insurance company decision.

I championed companies providing this basic work and the flexibility for women to express milk.

It's a pleasure to have you all testifying today.

I am a big advocate of green jobs, but I think the heart of the issue I was raising is not one you address, which is China has an industrial policy that discriminates.

This sort of de facto tariff is extremely disadvantageous for creating jobs in America, and isn't this part of the picture?

If China is pursuing an industrial policy that protects their domestic industries and we are not, and we lose jobs and they gain jobs, why is that a sustainable policy for the United States?

Dead-end, toxic programs that lack the programmatic or specialized accreditation required for licensure or employment in the applicable field should simply not be eligible for Federal financing.

We need to figure out how we can invest far more in our infrastructure here.

I really want to make sure we understand fully the job implications.

Investing in our infrastructure is absolutely critical, critical to our economy in terms of job creation and critical to our future economy

While you have the microphone, are there other things in the afterschool enrichment world that are particularly transportable models into the rural areas that may not have, say, industrial manufacturing partners and so forth nearby?

You are the reason that we are all here talking about education, and without your voice, we are missing a huge element.

Your leadership and guiding legislation that enables that will be really valuable.

We need to make the connections and make it a whole system.

I mean, I do believe that America, we all know, has fallen way behind.

If we can't keep more kids in school, we won't even have the sheer numbers to be able to compete.

Time for one last comment. Anyone else--yes?

I think that that is right.

There was a study done on Chess for Success here in Oregon that showed it had a pretty positive impact.

We need to remember access as well, please.

I think you have made the case that what happens outside of the classroom is as much a part of the education process as inside the classroom.

I loved math, and it could have been taught in any form, and I would have loved it.

If you are capable in math, there is a pretty substantial demand in the economy, and how much of a challenge is that?

We don't have enough folks and enough ethnic groups involved in the STEM world.

I think it is unfair that we charge our schools with the totality of educating the kid as if they are supposed to be teachers and social service workers at the same time.