Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so that we can immediately consider H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act. As a father of four, I know just how important it is to families across the country that our schools stay open and our kids keep learning. I want to pause for a moment to highlight what we are hearing right now. I fully appreciate my Democrat colleagues talking about federalism. I am very supportive of that in the face of sweeping Federal mandates that are going to inflict an enormous workforce burden on all of our private-sector companies in my district with a Federal vaccine mandate. We are trying to say: Don't do that. That is not the right approach. I am hearing the same thing, that it is not the right approach to tell each school board what they are doing. Let me set just a clear concept of what we are talking about here. There is Federal money involved. We want school boards to make decisions--I have even incorporated it into my speech that I will share here in a minute--to use these Federal dollars that are designed to help keep schools open. We need to make sure that these schools stay open. Let's all embrace federalism. That is the goal. President Biden just realized it a few weeks ago when he said we can't solve this at the Federal level. We fully embrace that. In-person learning is critical for our children's well-being. From mental health to reading and math skills, American students are struggling.…”