'It's A Five Alarm Fire': Suzanne Bonamici Rips Trump For Withholding Education Funds

Forbes Breaking News

During a speech on the House floor Tuesday, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) spoke about President Trump's decision to withhold $5 billion in education funding.

Transcript

00:01Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to demand answers. Answers from the

00:06Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget. Today it's July

00:1122nd and the Trump administration continues to withhold more than five

00:16billion dollars in critical K-12 and adult education funding that should have

00:21been released by the July 1st deadline. Now more than 150 Democratic members of

00:27the House of Representatives joined a group of 42 senators, including 10

00:32Republican senators, in calling on Secretary McMahon and Director Vogt to

00:36release the funds by July 15th. That date has obviously passed but we have

00:42received no answers. Although the administration did release the 21st

00:46Century Community Learning Center grants yesterday, they are a small percentage of

00:52the outstanding funding and there is still no word on any of the other grants.

00:57So school districts across the country, they're scrambling to make decisions but

01:01they have unclear information and severely constrained budgets. Many districts have

01:06already been forced to lay off educators and staff who will not be paid without

01:10the federal funding. For many students across the country, the new school year

01:14starts in a few weeks and schools are now in an all-out crisis. As one

01:19administrator told me, it's a five alarm fire. Funds authorized under the Every

01:25Student Succeeds Act are not a luxury. They are part of what closes opportunity

01:30gaps. They are a critical part of our effort to provide students across the

01:35country, regardless of income or zip code, with a world-class education. Yes, this is

01:41about civil rights. Every single dollar is a good investment in students and in our

01:46future. State administered Title I Part C grants, which have been around since the

01:511960s, they support migrant students. These grants help children of mobile

01:56farm workers and fishers, people who are harvesting our crops and putting food on

02:01our tables. It helps their children meet academic standards and graduate from high

02:05school, preparing them to become responsible citizens and productive

02:10employees. Title II grants, that provides essential support to recruit, prepare and

02:15retain high-quality teachers and school leaders. These grants address the growing

02:21educator workforce shortage and provide professional development for educators

02:25to improve teaching and student outcomes. Title III grants provide English language

02:30learners with the integrated academic support they need to learn English and

02:34meet state standards. And Title IV Part A grants, those are designed to give

02:40students access to a well-rounded education. That's what students need to improve

02:45school safety, to create better conditions for student learning and engagement. These grants

02:51fund critical music and arts programs, integrate technology into the classroom so students

02:56can develop digital literacy skills. And finally, the adult basic and literacy education

03:02grants, those help provide integrated education and training services that promote essential

03:07skills for the 21st century workforce. These are all programs that Congress authorized. Again,

03:15these are programs that Congress authorized, yet the Trump administration is refusing to release

03:19the funds. Ten Republican senators were brave enough, principled enough, to request with the Democrats that the

03:26administration released these funds for their intended purposes, yet we have heard nothing, nothing,

03:33from House Republicans about the illegal and unconstitutional withholding of these

03:38congressionally appropriated dollars. Is there fear of President Trump keeping them from their

03:44commitment to the millions of students in the school districts they were elected to represent? Well,

03:50my colleagues, everyone can show that they care about the kids in their districts. They care about

03:56education. Everyone should join us in demanding answers. Secretary McMahon and Director Vote must release

04:02these funds immediately. This is about our nation's children, our students, our future leaders. They deserve better.

04:10And I yield back.

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Transcript

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