David Obey: “It is simply false to say that the difference between the President and the Republican majority on the issue of class…”

“It is simply false to say that the difference between the President and the Republican majority on the issue of class size is that the administration wants to run this program through Federal bureaucracy and the Republicans want to make sure that it is run through State and local bureaucracy. That is not what is at stake. What we want to do is assure that if we are going to spend over $1 billion that that money is used for the purpose for which it is appropriated, which is to reduce class size. It has nothing to do with which bureaucracy it runs through. We do not want that money to be used for noninstructional purposes. If you run that money through title VI, as the Republicans want, that means there will be at least 1 percent available for Federal administration. It means there will be up to 15 percent available for State administration. And there is no limit whatsoever on administrative cost at the local level. That is why we are insisting on this principle.”