Political Quotes

“last year this Congress voted 295-125 against allowing the federal government to establish national tests for education. However, President Clinton and the Federal Department of Education continue to pursue their effort to establish national testing. I am very disturbed, but quite frankly not surprised by the President's efforts to bypass the Congress and establish national testing. He has done this in other areas as well. The Constitution gives the Congress, not the President, discretion over federal spending. The Congress has not authorized the Administration to expend taxpayer funds on developing or implementing a national education test and its is wrong for the Administration to pursue such efforts. The American people don't want federal control of education and that is exactly what national testing moves us towards. H.R. 2847 would ensure that the House Committee on Education and the Workforce (the Congress) will have increased involvement and discretion over this program. I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation and am hopeful that we can move it forward. Unlike liberals in Washington, I believe that states and local communities are better equipped to design and implement school assessment programs because they are closer to the needs and abilities of their students, teachers, and schools. Furthermore, national testing could lead to a watered-down, ineffective test which holds everyone to lower standards.”