Political Quotes

“I rise in opposition to this amendment. I think the whole amendment fundamentally misperceives the nature of our reauthorization. What we are trying to do is take what we have learned over the last several years and incorporate it into this legislation. One thing we have learned is that young people who have been exposed to preschool programs like Head Start lose their advantage over the years, unless adequate comprehensive and thorough transition programs... At the heart of the amendment of the gentlewoman from Washington is a very sensible and very pragmatic approach, which is to invest in the types of transitional programs which will sustain what we have achieved through Head Start. We are going to once again, I hope, vigorously support Head Start. But to do so without this transitional mechanism is, I think, to be somewhat misplaced in our priorities. So we have to, I think, support this amendment. The gentlewoman from Washington is right. We have to sustain the progress we have made through Head Start.”