Sheila Jackson Lee: “Generous and kindhearted people from the faith institutions that many of our universities come under, Mr. Chair, you are…”

“Generous and kindhearted people from the faith institutions that many of our universities come under, Mr. Chair, you are going to ask them to vet or to determine whether terrorists are involved. It is not the question of whether terrorists are involved. I want this Nation to be protected. We now realize that we are subject to a lot of terrorist potential because of the times we are in. I take it seriously. I am on the Homeland Security Committee. Nevertheless, this $1 is to make a mockery of the hard work of many folks at ``working-class'' universities and colleges, our community colleges, and 2-year colleges that themselves receive donations from people who are grateful that they allowed them to be a vocational nurse or welder and, because of that opportunity, they were able to make a living for themselves and their families. We must have rational and reasonable thinking here. I am grateful for America's hierarchy of education because so many people come here to be educated. Mr. Chair, let us vote this amendment down. Let us not do this and undermine the educational system of this Nation and the Constitution.”