David Obey: “who are we trying to kid? I have been in this House 31 years, and there has not been a year when the Republicans in this…”

“who are we trying to kid? I have been in this House 31 years, and there has not been a year when the Republicans in this House have not favored less funding for Federal education than Democrats. Over the last 5 years, first they wanted to abolish the Department of Education. Then they tried to savage every education program that they can get their hands on. Now that the polls are showing that education is increasing in popularity, they are backing away. Now they act as though somehow the idea of the Federal Government helping local school districts with renovating buildings is a new idea. Franklin Roosevelt, for goodness sake, helped local school districts build 5,200 new schools when he was President in the 1930s. He helped them renovate 1,000 schools that needed renovation. My colleagues passed a minimum wage bill just a few weeks ago that gave $11 billion in wage benefits to low-wage workers but gave $90 billion in tax cuts to people making over 300,000 bucks a year. What does one have to do to finance this amendment? Cut back that $90 billion to their wealthy friends to $89 billion. Is not that a terrible thing to ask to them do? My colleagues ask why the administration opposed the Archer arbitrage position. It is very simple. Because that provision encouraged delays in construction because delaying construction would mean that schools could have earned additional interest by leaving the money in the bank rather than putting it in the school.”