Political Quotes

“it appears to me that we find ourselves in a pleasant predicament when it comes to education appropriations for fiscal year 1997. On each side of the aisle we have leadership packages that would add some $2.3 billion in additional funding to education. In several areas, the Democratic package, of which I am a cosponsor, is larger than the Republican package. It would, for instance, add $585 million to the Pell Grant program in order to fund a $2,700 maximum grant for the coming year. It would also add funds to the Goals 2000 Program, to the Professional Development Program for Teachers, to Education Technology, and to important higher education programs, such as TRIO and the SSIG Program. In other areas, however, the Republican package is larger. In areas such as Title I, Adult Education, the SEOG Program, College Work Study, and Special Education, the Republican package contains more funding than the Democratic package. Mr. President, there is a solution to the dilemma with which we are faced that is in the best interests of our nation. It is also an outcome that would get us out of a bipartisan battle, and bring the spirit of bipartisanship back to education policy making and appropriations. Very simply, I believe we should take the higher number from each package, put them together, and pass a package for which we can all take credit. This would mean more money for education, and to my mind, that would be very good news, indeed.”