Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT.

Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the 13,500 teachers in California who will get to keep their jobs this fall as result of the education funding we provide today.

I rise in support of the over $1.8 billion that will come back to California to help pay for Medicaid assistance for low income people.

Without this crucial funding California would be forced into even more painful budget cuts that would have cascaded down to our local cities and counties--forcing layoffs for police, fire, EMT's and other critical personnel.

While I support this aid to the states to keep people at work--I am disappointed that the other body would choose to pay for this assistance on the backs of poor people who receive food stamps. I ask for unanimous consent to insert into the Record an August 6 editorial in the New York Times--Congress's Serial Hits on Food Stamps.

We spend trillions in support of two wars--funneling hundreds of billions of dollars into a black hole over at the Pentagon--yet we can't find another way to fund a good education for our kids or help States provide healthcare to the poor?

Have we lost our moral compass?

The Congress continues to throw away our children's inheritance in Afghanistan to pursue the longest war in American history, yet finds it okay to cut food stamps.

That doesn't make any sense! We should not have to choose between forcing people to go hungry and our children's education.

Madam Speaker, I will vote for this bill because the States are desperate for this money--but the other body should have done better.

In addition to these funds we should have been approving money to pay our debt to Black farmers and the Native American community, to fund youth employment programs, and to extend the TANF emergency contingency fund.

As Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, I can say with certainty that we will not relent and will fight to get these priorities done. We should not have to choose between forcing people to go hungry and our children's education.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT.

Source