Tim Scott: “And more costs and some children will not be able to get fed as a direct result of that budget. I am particularly…”

“And more costs and some children will not be able to get fed as a direct result of that budget. I am particularly concerned about the mean-spirited cuts in the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Program and the Summer Jobs Program. These programs will not just suffer a reduction in funds, but are at risk of being completely eliminated. The Drug Free Schools Program and the Summer Jobs Program are not frivolous programs, they are designed with specific intentions. Drug Free Schools was authorized as a means to repeal the onslaught of drugs and violence in the schools. The most significant changes in 1994 included an emphasis on violence prevention. In the city of Richmond in my State of Virginia, we have a program called Richmond Youth Against Violence. Recognizing the overlap and risk factors for violence and substance abuse, the school system decided to focus on violence prevention as an effective means to reduce or eliminate drugs used by our young people.”