A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 1999

Contact:
Erica Lepping
(202) 401-3026

Statement by U. S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley
Response to Republican Leadership Statement on

Impact of a 1% Across-the-Board Cut in Education

Good afternoon. As Congress winds down this current session we have the usual last minute maneuvering. This morning my Department was visited by three members of the Republican leadership who came to tell us that we have a hidden "slush fund."

These members have every right to come to this Department to voice their concerns about policy differences and their thoughts on my stewardship and management. This is the democratic process and my door is always open to every member of Congress. But members of Congress should not make assertions that are not true. It does not serve the democratic process and is a diversion from the work we need to do to improve education.

Earlier in the week at a press conference I explained that a 1% across-the-board cut would have a very serious and direct impact on key programs like Title I, After-school, Class size, GEAR-UP and special education.

I made the point that a 1% cut in Title I, which helps children learn how to read and write, would force this Department to cut services for 120,000 students. I went on to say that I was troubled that the Republican majority was going back on the bipartisan commitment to hire 100,000 teachers to reduce class size.

This morning, in an attempt to shore up their latest budget proposal, which is full of accounting tricks and budgetary sleight of hand, several members of Congress visited my offices to assert that this Department can easily absorb a 1% across-the-board budget cut. They have even gone to the extreme measure of making the charge that well-established "clearing" accounts, that are part of the normal budgetary process of this Department, are some type of slush fund.

In reality, the Department is legally prohibited from obligating funds for new activities from these accounts. We simply can't use this money to cover a 1% across-the-board cut. This is why this type of charge is baseless and wrong.

Over the past year, the House majority has tried every type of budget gimmick possible in an attempt to balance the budget. Today's publicity stunt is yet another attempt to divert attention from the real issues at hand -- how to improve the education of our children.

In the last days of this Congressional session I had hoped that the House Majority would finally get serious about education. This does not seem to be the case.

Instead of getting serious about reducing class size, the House majority has reneged on their promise from last year. Instead of increasing funding to make sure children can read and write, they propose to cut funding. And on it goes. Surely we can do better.

I urge the Congress to put aside the budget gimmicks and side-shows and work with us to improve the education of all of our children.

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