Trey Gowdy: “One of the reasons that public approval for our body is sometimes so historically low is we have a tendency to demagogue…”

“One of the reasons that public approval for our body is sometimes so historically low is we have a tendency to demagogue those with whom we disagree and we create false dichotomies. This bill is no more about the independence of the District of Columbia than anything else. The District of Columbia does not think twice before accepting Federal dollars for the public school system, the charter school system, or a host of other agendas. Nor does the District of Columbia think twice when it accepts Pell Grant monies that allow an 18-year-old to go to Georgetown, which is a private school, but will not allow a 17-year-old to go to a private high school. Nor is this bill about whether or not someone believes in the public school system. I went to the public schools in South Carolina. My wife teaches in the public schools in South Carolina. And my son will graduate from the public schools in South Carolina. But I will miss his graduation, like many of you have missed things in your lives, because we will be in session. What I will not miss is the opportunity to throw a lifeline to kids who were born through the vicissitudes of life into poverty. We will give them the same choices and chances that we have had.”