Education is of Great Importance to Congressional Black Caucus, Congress, and Constituents
Floor Speech
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Mrs. McIVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise and stand here today not as a politician, but as a daughter, a mother, and a product of public schools. I am here because I know what education can do, what it did for me, what it has done for millions of children across this country, and I cannot sit quietly as one of the cornerstones of our democracy is chipped away.
What we are witnessing with the dismantling of the Department of Education isn't just a bureaucratic decision. It is dangerous. It is a decision that tells every child in this country that their future doesn't matter, that their dreams are negotiable, that their ZIP Code should determine the quality of their education.
Let me be clear, that is not just wrong, it is vicious because when we give up on our schools, we give up on our communities. When we defund education, we are defunding hope. We are telling a little girl in the south ward of Newark, a little boy in the Borough of Roselle, or a student living in Jersey City that their potential has limits, that they weren't meant to retire.
However, I know better, because I have seen what happens when we invest in our kids. I have seen how a great teacher can change the course of a life. I have seen how a Pell grant can lift up a family. I have seen young people go from classrooms with broken chairs to boardrooms and executive suites because someone believed in them.
I have often said that education is the one thing no one can take away from you, but right now Trump and his billionaire buddies are trying to take away the very structure that ensures our kids get that education in the first place.
It isn't about politics. This is about values. This is about who we are as a country. Do we invest in the next generation or do we abandon them? We are better than this. Our children deserve better than this.
I cosponsored H.R. 433, the Department of Education Protection Act, to prohibit the use of congressional appropriated funds for any reorganization or dismantling of the Department of Education. I urge my colleagues across the aisle in this room to fight for our schools, fight for our teachers, fight for every child who dares to dream beyond their circumstances because they are watching, and they are counting on us.
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