Blake Moore: “As the co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional TRIO Caucus, I find this amendment, which would cut $60 million in…”

“As the co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional TRIO Caucus, I find this amendment, which would cut $60 million in funding from TRIO educational services that assist veterans and low-income and first-generation college students, deeply disturbing and misaligned with our national economic interests. It sends the misguided message that only university education is unnecessary for low-income students. You know, just get a little job training and go straight to work. I might make the observation that I don't see anybody over there who has less than a bachelor's degree, and I know my good friend has a law degree. While career and technical education is very, very important, low- income students and our country's economic viability deserve the option of educating some of our students at a 4-year-degree level. For us to maintain hegemony in the world, we need people like Steve Jobs, who was not a trust fund baby, who was not a legacy kid, but someone who had the talent and ability. We need to provide opportunity to the larger pool of talent in our country in order to be able to create the next iPhone. I will give you a really good example, Mr. Chairman. There is a student who happens to live in southeastern Minnesota. As a matter of fact, he lives in the Second Congressional District. He was once a homeless student living in poverty, but he participated in a TRIO program at a university in Minnesota's Second District.…”