Floor Statements

Today I will introduce the Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act, the first in a series of proposals to reform education in America.

There’s an urgent need to fix what’s broken in our nation’s education system.  Roughly two-thirds of eighth graders lack basic reading and math skills. Only 70 percent of students graduate high school. Meanwhile, federal education spending is at an all-time high.

Currently, the Department of Education administers more than 80 programs tied to K-12 classrooms.  Many of those programs are duplicative, several have been deemed inefficient, and others are simply a poor use of taxpayer funds.

It’s time to trim the fat. Today, I will introduce legislation that will eliminate – not consolidate, not defund, eliminate – 43 wasteful K-12 education programs.

At a time when approximately one-third of American fourth graders can’t read, we must concentrate on education initiatives that have a track record of putting the needs of students first.

I encourage my colleagues to support the Setting New Priorities in Education Spending Act, and I yield back.