Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill which reauthorizes a USAID Merit and Needs-Based Scholarship program named after Malala Yousafzai. Malala is a Pakistani activist who began making the case for access to education for women and girls in 2008 despite objections from the Pakistani Taliban. In October 2012, she was shot in the head by the Taliban in an assassination attempt in retaliation for her activism. Malala, just 15 years old at the time, miraculously survived and continues to fight for access to education for every child. I want to thank my colleagues, Congressman Jeffries and Congresswoman Wagner, for introducing this bill and for their work on this issue. Specifically, this bill authorizes for 3 years a USAID Merit and Needs-Based Scholarship program to academically talented, financially needy Pakistani students to pursue a bachelor's or master's degree at participating Pakistani universities. At least half of the number of scholarships shall go to women, and the administrator shall make every effort to award at least half of the scholarships under the program to go to Pakistani women. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”