Hakeem Jeffries

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentlelady from New York for her very thoughtful and insightful remarks, and I certainly thank her for pointing out that immigrants from the great State of New York and, in fact, immigrants who have come across the world to States all across the United States are hardworking, family-oriented, entrepreneurial, and innovative individuals who have helped to revive and rejuvenate communities all across this great land. It's something that we in this Chamber need to recognize as we celebrate and commemorate Small Business Week and prepare to move forward hopefully with some form of comprehensive immigration reform that we recognize the contributions that immigrants have made in the small business context. We've been joined by another champion of small businesses here in the Congress who has got a very distinguished record on a wide variety of issues. She has been a thoughtful, eloquent, and passionate voice as it relates to entrepreneurship in America, and specifically within the black community. It is my honor and privilege now to yield the floor to the distinguished gentlelady from the great Lone Star State of Texas, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. I want to thank my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from the Silver State, for once again anchoring this the CBC Special Order, this hour of power where, for the 60 minutes that we've been allotted, we in the Congressional Black Caucus have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people on an issue of great significance, income inequality, which, as you have pointed out Representative Horsford, has increased, has gotten worse, not better, in recent years and, in fact, in recent decades. It's a very troubling trend. The fact is, in America, we celebrate success, celebrate entrepreneurship and the ability of people to prosper. But we in the CBC think that America is at its greatest when we promote progress for everybody, when we work as hard as we can in this Congress and this country to lift the entire civic participation rates and economic participation rates of everybody in this country. For the last several decades, objectively and empirically, the rich have gotten richer. They've seen their incomes increase since 1979 in excess of 275 percent. In isolation, that wouldn't be problematic. But when you consider what has happened to the least of those amongst us, to middle-income Americans as well, the situation is extremely troubling. The poor in many instances have gotten poorer, and working families and middle class folks and those who aspire to be part of the middle class are still struggling. In many instances, they've been left behind. Now it has often been said that when Wall Street catches a cold, many low-income Americans get a fever. Well, we know in 2008, Wall Street, in fact, Representative Horsford, got the flu. And ever since, many low-income communities across this great country have been dealing with economic pneumonia. That's bad for the country, that's bad for our democracy, and we here in the country ought to do something about it. Now, since the collapse of the economy in 2008, one of the things that has exacerbated the income and inequality dynamic is the fact that some Americans have recovered, but others have been left behind. We are in the midst of a very schizophrenic economic situation right now. Corporate profits are way up. The stock market is way up. The productivity of the American worker is way up. Yet unemployment remains stubbornly high and wages for working families and for low-income Americans has remained stagnant. That's why we're arguing in the CBC that what we should be doing in America right now is investing in our economy, lifting up low-income workers and working families and those who aspire to be part of the middle class; invest in education; invest in job training; invest in research and development; invest in transportation and infrastructure and technology and innovation. Invest in America in these ways. Put people back to work so we can increase consumer demand; and if you increase consumer demand, the economy is going to grow. And if the economy grows, then the deficit as a percentage of GDP will reduce itself, and everybody benefits. So if you can't find the compassion simply to do the right thing for those low-income Americans who are struggling here in this great country, basic economic theory suggests that the right thing to do would be to provide support to those Americans who will spend that additional income that they have, put it into the economy in order to help create a more robust recovery. So I thank the gentleman from Nevada for his leadership on this issue of great importance.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Well, we don't need slash-and-burn budgets that reduce our investment in social safety net programs that are an important part of who we are in America. What we should be doing, consistent with the 10-20-30 proposal, is targeting our investment in a way that is nonpartisan in nature, that will direct resources to rural America and to urban America, to blue States and to red States, that will focus on the poverty problem in a way that will benefit Americans no matter where they might be. That's what we should be doing as a Congress. That's what 10-20-30 is all about, and I'm hopeful that we can find our way to a bipartisan meeting of the minds, find common ground, and engage in investing in programs that will lift people out of poverty in this great country.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Well, let me first thank the distinguished gentleman from the Badger State, my good friend, Representative Mark Pocan, who has been such a tremendous leader on this issue and a tremendous leader on issues of significance to progressive America--to America, in fact-- during his short time in the Congress. We've seen week after week, month after month, Representative Pocan has come to the floor of the House of Representatives, the people's House, and boldly articulated a progressive vision for how we can deal with some of the problems that we confront today in America. And certainly when we talk about wrapping our arms collectively around the issues of great significance to this country of ours, dealing with the crisis in higher education is of utmost importance. As Representative Pocan has eloquently laid out, if the Congress does not act by July 1, more than 7 million Americans will face a doubling of their student loan interest rate from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, increasing an already heavy burden as it relates to their college education. Why is it important that we address this issue? Well, one, the cost of a college education in America keeps going up, but the amount of financial aid available to these students keeps coming down. And so college and higher education, which is a pathway toward the American Dream, is increasingly out of reach for low-income Americans, for working families, for the sons and the daughters of the middle class. Why is this troubling? Well, it's troubling because it's clear that going to college makes sense as it relates to creating a better future for Americans. This chart that we have illustrates the point in a very compelling way--Education Pays. This lays out the median weekly earnings of individuals at different levels of educational attainment. Now, with less than a high school diploma, you earn approximately $451 a week and your unemployment rate is in excess of 14 percent. If you've got a high school diploma or a GED, you'll make around $638 per week. You still have a very high unemployment rate on average of 9.4 percent. If you get a bachelor's degree, your weekly earnings increase exponentially to $1,053 per week, and your average unemployment drops to 4.9 percent. And if you were to take that a step further and obtain a professional degree, your weekly average earnings increase to in excess of $1,600 per week, and your collective unemployment rate drops to 2.4 percent. Education pays. And that's why for the good of America, we support the position that we should invest in young people--help facilitate their pursuit of a college education. It will benefit them, it will benefit their families, it will benefit the communities from whence they come, and it will also, of course, benefit America. But today, as was indicated by Representative Pocan, we have a student loan debt crisis that we confront in America. Student loan debt is now second only to home mortgages in collective debt as it relates to the American people. It was staggeringly high just a few years ago-- $650 million or so. It now exceeds $1 trillion. It's a crisis of incredible proportion. Now, similar to Representative Pocan and the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania, Representative Cartwright, we've only been here for a couple of months; but it's been clear in that relatively short period of time that there are many in the people's House who consistently talk about the notion that the debt that we have in America is a moral imperative for us to get under control. It exceeds $16 trillion. They blame President Obama for that debt, and that's why we have an irresponsible fight every time there's occasion to raise the debt ceiling. I don't want to dwell on that fact, but parenthetically I will note that we're in the situation that we're in today, not because of assistance that the government has provided to those seeking higher education or other positive domestic spending programs, we're in this situation--that $16 trillion debt situation--because of some irresponsible decisions that were made during the 8 years of the previous administration. That's just the facts. But they'll talk--some of our good friends on the other side of the aisle--about this moral imperative to deal with the debt that we have in America. How dare we shoulder future generations with such a burden. But then when it comes to the more than $1 trillion debt burden that is actually being shouldered by younger Americans, what we've gotten is an irresponsible bill, H.R. 1911, that will actually make a bad situation even worse. As Representative Pocan indicated, I've introduced legislation that would freeze the current interest rate at 3.4 percent. There are other ideas on this side of the aisle, all designed to deal with making sure that as many Americans as possible can go to college, that it is affordable, and they can leave college with a minimum amount of debt so they can accelerate their entry into society as productive Americans. That's really what we want. Because the higher the debt burden that the average American faces--young American--the more likely it is that they'll put off consumer spending decisions that are important to our economy, such as the purchase of a home; they'll put off because of their student loan debt burden, starting a family; many who might otherwise be future entrepreneurs create start-up companies that may become the next Google or the next Yahoo or the next Facebook, they put off those decisions because they need the certainty of a job that will help pay down this debt. And so there are a lot of complications that are created as a result of the $1 trillion debt burden that we have in America. And so how are we going to deal with this problem? Well, the GOP proposal, as I mentioned, really will make a bad situation worse. Under the current interest rate, 3.4 percent, over the next 5 years, someone with a subsidized Stafford loan would have about $4,174 in debt. If we did nothing and allowed the increase to take place on July 1, that same individual would have $8,808 in debt over a 5-year period. But with the GOP proposal, H.R. 1911, the student would be in the worst possible position: in excess of $10,000 in debt. This is not an appropriate approach for our future college students, for younger Americans, for this great country of ours. That's why we are urging the rejection of H.R. 1911. Let's come to the table and have a discussion that allows younger Americans and our college students to benefit from the historically low interest rates that exist and allow them to pursue the dream of a college education so they can grow and prosper and benefit the good of the country.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We've been joined now by another dynamic member of the freshman class, who arrived a couple of months earlier than the rest of us. He has gotten off to a tremendous start. I now yield to my distinguished colleague from the Garden State, the always nattily dressed Representative Donald Payne, Jr.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey. As we close, this chart really illustrates the magnitude of the collective problem confronting younger Americans in the United States of America. The student loan debt burden has now exceeded $1 trillion. Now, in this Chamber, we hear a lot about the debt crisis facing America, but we have a student loan debt crisis that must be addressed. I yield to my good friend, the gentleman from Nevada, Steven Horsford, for his thoughts on this matter.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentleman. We will continue to do all that we can to make college affordable for every single American. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and a privilege to once again have this opportunity to anchor the CBC Special Order along with my very distinguished colleague, my good friend from the Silver State, Representative Steven Horsford, where for the next 60 minutes during this hour of power, members of the Congressional Black Caucus will have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people about the issues facing higher education here in America. We are at a crisis moment as it relates to our capacity to make sure that we can provide an affordable college education to as many Americans as possible. The problem that we in this country confront is twofold. First, the cost of a college education keeps going up, but the amount of financial aid available to younger Americans keeps coming down. As a result, higher education is increasingly out of reach, particularly for low-income Americans or working families or the sons and daughters of the middle class. A college education is a pathway to the American Dream. The fact that it's increasingly out of reach is incredibly problematic for this great country. Compounding that fact secondarily is the reality that the amount of student loan debt for younger Americans has increased exponentially. If the Congress does not act in advance of July 1, then the interest rate for federally subsidized student loans will double in its amount. It will increase from its current rate of 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. This increase will impact more than 7 million younger Americans. It's a crisis that we must confront. The CBC today will lay out a vision for how we can deal with the immediate crisis that we confront that's approaching as we march toward July 1, as well as ideas for tackling the broader issue of college affordability. Many of our members will also lay out the problems with the GOP approach as represented in H.R. 1911, which will only make the problem worse--not better. We're pleased that so many of my distinguished colleagues have joined us today to participate in this Special Order. To get us started is our eloquent and dynamic leader, the chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Marcia Fudge.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Thank you so much, Representative Scott, certainly for your eloquent and thoughtful observations, and for pointing out what really is a very interesting fact as it relates to what we're doing here in Washington, D.C., this week. If we just simply did nothing, if we all went back to our districts and didn't act in advance of the student loan rate doubling on July 1, that we would actually be better off going back home and doing nothing than if we acted upon the GOP proposal, H.R. 1911, which independently and objectively has been proven to show that it would make the situation, which is bad, now worse for millions and millions and millions of American students. That's why so many of our constituents are cynical about a lot of the things that happen down here in Washington, D.C. We've been joined by another distinguished member of the freshman class, someone who herself had a very prominent career prior to arriving here in the House of Representatives in higher education, as well as a leader in the Ohio legislature. I'm pleased to yield now to the distinguished gentlelady from Ohio, Representative Joyce Beatty.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentlelady from Ohio for her great leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, would you be so kind as to let us know how many minutes are remaining in today's Special Order.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentleman for raising some very eloquent points and doing it in such a thoughtful and passionate way. These are solutions, Mr. Speaker, that we really should be discussing in the context of a conference committee to come to some resolution around the budget. For about 4 years, Members of the other side of the aisle were complaining about the absence of regular order, but this year we passed a budget in the House of Representatives in March. The Senate then passed their budget plan in the same month. The President came back in April, after we got back from recess, and presented his budget. The next step in regular order, which the House GOP has been asking for for 4 years, would be to appoint conferees so the Senate and the House can sit down and work it out and discuss some of the solutions that Representative Horsford and other Representatives of the American people have put forth to deal with our economic situation, make higher education more affordable, and provide businesses with the certainty that they need. And so the question is, What is the House GOP afraid of? Why haven't you appointed conferees so we can sit down and have a discussion to work out the issues and the problems that are confronting the American people? We've been joined by another distinguished member of the freshman class, one of the newest Members of the House of Representatives, Representative Robin Kelly from the great State of Illinois.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the gentlelady for her very insightful comments. You know, it's interesting, as Representative Kelly pointed out, when the economy collapsed in 2008, it created a situation where many younger Americans entered into the job market and confronted increased difficulty in securing employment in their area of study or in any other area of study. So it doesn't make a lot of sense to many of us that, as we still continue to deal with a fragile economic recovery, why in the world would we shoulder these young Americans with an increased student loan debt burden in the face of an already difficult job market? That's a question that our friends on the other side of the aisle are going to have to answer this week, and I don't think that the American people will like what they have to say in that regard. We're pleased that we've been joined by the very distinguished gentleman from the great State of Virginia, someone who has spearheaded the CBC effort as it relates to our compassionate and strong and responsible budget. I'm pleased to yield to Representative Bobby Scott.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished gentlelady from the great State of Texas for laying out in very clear terms the two different visions that exist here in the House of Representatives as it relates to how to deal with access to higher education. The CBC vision is a clear one. We want to increase opportunity to a college degree because we recognize that it's a great way to the American Dream. The other side, unfortunately, has put forth a plan that will help snatch that opportunity away, make it more expensive, increase the debt burden. And unfortunately, this one particular issue, as it relates to the student loan dynamic, fits within a broader dichotomy as to how we approach dealing with the problems in America. We believe in a balanced approach that invests in America and education and prepares our young people for the challenges of the 21st century economy. But the other side seems to have taken the approach that they're going to balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable here in America, and that includes young people who are trying to pursue a college education. That's what their budget proposal says. Take away $168 billion in higher education funding, and then, at the same time, when, on July 1, student loan rates may double, put forth a bill that has been articulated to have made the problem worse if, in fact, it is ever enacted into law. We're pleased that we've been joined, once again by my distinguished coanchor, Steven Horsford, who represents the great State of Nevada, and so I now yield to my good friend, Congressman Horsford.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank you, Chairwoman Fudge, for so eloquently laying out both the history in this great country of investing in higher education, whether it is the private school context or in the public school context, but making sure consistently that our young people are prepared for the challenges of the modern day economy, which will increasingly require a college degree, if not a graduate degree and significant training. That is why we at the CBC feel it is important to make sure that we make college more affordable, not less affordable, as the GOP proposal would do. We have also been joined by a very distinguished colleague from the Lone Star State who has been a tremendous champion on this issue and on many others in the Congress, and so I now yield to Representative Sheila Jackson Lee from the great city of Houston.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, later on this afternoon, the House will vote for the 37th time to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Speaker of the House of Representatives has already been on record saying that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. So it's just not clear to me why we are wasting the time and the treasure of the American people on another futile legislative fantasy. In fact, it's a legislative fantasy that has cost the American people more than $50 million. If, in fact, the Affordable Care Act were to be repealed, it would do even more damage, as independent economists have estimated that a repeal would add to the Federal deficit by more than $100 billion. It's often been said that the classic definition of ``insanity'' is doing the same thing over and over and over again but somehow expecting a different result. Barack Obama was elected President in 2008. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010. The Supreme Court, with the Chief Justice voting in the majority, held that the Affordable Care Act was constitutional in 2012. A few months later, President Barack Obama was reelected in an electoral college landslide. Yet, later on this afternoon, we're voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act for the 37th time--over and over and over again. It's a classic definition of legislative insanity, as if the 37th vote is going to be any different, will yield any different results than the previous 36 where we've wasted the taxpayer dollars of the American people. The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, and that's a good thing. It's a good thing because over the next decade more than 30 million Americans who otherwise would not have had health care insurance will be insured. It seems to me that that's a good thing. The Affordable Care Act makes sure that insurance companies cannot deny medical coverage for preexisting conditions. It seems to me that that's a good thing. The Affordable Care Act provides small businesses with a 35 percent tax credit, which will enable these small businesses to continue to grow and to flourish. It seems to me that that's a good thing. The Affordable Care Act allows young Americans who are just starting out to remain on the insurance plan of their parents until the age of 26, giving them a real chance to get themselves started in their pursuit of the American Dream. I'm new, but it seems to me that that's a good thing. Yet later on this afternoon, for the 37th time, we're engaging in another futile legislative fantasy. There are a couple of other things that we could be doing. We could be dealing with the sequester, $85 billion in random cuts that are costing the economy more than 500,000 jobs, but we're not. We could be debating the American Jobs Act, trying to put the people of this great country back to work and stimulate the economy, but we're not. We could be trying to get a budget, go to conference, create some certainty for industry and the American people, but we're not. Madam Speaker, I'm hopeful that after this vote is taken, we can finally come to the reality that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, it's good for the American people, and we should get back to doing things that will advance prosperity in this great country.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, this institution is commonly referred to as the people's House. We have an obligation to address issues that impact all Americans. The sequestration cuts began as a slow burn but have increasingly caused pain for people all across this country. Now, this House somehow found the courage to rescue air travelers from the sequestration battlefield, but we left other Americans behind: We left Head Start children behind; we left expectant mothers behind; we left seniors who rely on the Meals on Wheels program behind; we left public housing residents behind; we left the long-term unemployed behind. We have an obligation to address issues that confront all Americans. That's why I support H.R. 900, a one-sentence bill that would repeal the sequester.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Thank you, Mr. Horsford, for once again co-anchoring this Special Order and for your tremendous leadership, and also thanks to Dr. Christensen. We are thankful for all that you have done in chairing the CBC Brain Trust on Health Care. The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land; the President has been elected and reelected; the Supreme Court has ruled it constitutional. Let's move forward and address the health care disparities that have been set forth so eloquently here today, come together and deal with the ailments that are facing the American people. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JEFFRIES

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, it's an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to stand here once again and to anchor the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order with my distinguished colleague from the Silver State, Steven Horsford. For the next 60 minutes, members from the Congressional Black Caucus will speak directly to the American people about the importance of investing in the education of our children and of our young people as a matter of utmost importance for the future prosperity of this great country. I've got the honor and the privilege of representing the 8th Congressional District, which includes parts of Queens, and it is largely anchored in neighborhoods in Brooklyn. And 100 years ago this month, in April of 1913, Ebbets Field opened for the first time. Ebbets Field, as the movie ``42'' has illustrated, is the baseball stadium where, on April 15 of 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in America's pastime and became the first African American to participate in a Major League Baseball game. Now, we know that prior to that moment, African Americans, solely on the basis of their color, were prohibited from playing Major League Baseball. And so you had individuals like ``Cool Papa'' Bell and Josh Gibson, any number of individuals who were stellar at their craft amongst the best who have ever played, confined to the Negro leagues, unable to ever get onto a Major League Baseball field because of the color of their skin. That all changed on April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. And I think that holds an important point for us, what Jackie Robinson illustrated: that if you get an opportunity to get on the field of play, folks who otherwise have been excluded from the mainstream can demonstrate that they will perform just as well, if not better, than everyone else. And in the context of education in the United States of America, we confront a situation where you have one group of children in this country who've got a first-rate education, and then you've got another group of children who are confined to a broken public school system that has failed them, that has inadequately prepared them for the opportunities that otherwise would be available in life. We don't have necessarily, the literature has begun to show, an achievement gap that relates to capacity or ability. Yes, based on different performance measures, Black children and White children and Latino children score differently in various areas of proficiency, but the literature has begun to show that's not really an achievement gap. It's really an opportunity gap. And what Jackie Robinson demonstrated, I think, for all of America to see is that, if you just give our children the same opportunities available to others through the educational system--give them the same bat, give them the same glove, give them the same cleats, allow them to perform on the same fields of human endeavor--that they can perform just as well, if not better, than everyone else. And if you give them that opportunity, if you give all American children opportunity, it's good for them, but it's good for the community and it's good for the Nation. It lifts everyone's productivity in a manner that will benefit America. That is why the CBC believes that investing in education is the appropriate and a meaningful and the right way to go, given what we confront in our country at this moment. We've been joined by several distinguished members of the CBC. Let me first yield to my co-anchor, the distinguished gentleman from Nevada, Representative Steven Horsford.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the distinguished Congresswoman from Ohio. I note the connection to Ohio State University that we share in my family. My brother is a professor of history at Ohio State's great institution. Your contribution to opening up opportunities for people of color and all students at such a great public university is noted. It is important, I think, for this institution to take a look at several of the issues that you've raised, Congresswoman, that Representative Horsford and I will shortly explore. The debt situation is particularly troublesome, and I'm going to ask the gentleman from Nevada if he would make a few observations in connection to what Representative Beatty noted is a student-loan problem that we have here in America. Now, the interesting thing is that during the 110-plus days that we all as freshmen have been in this Chamber, we've heard a lot of talk about the moral imperative of dealing with the debt situation that we confront in America. And every time we're about to hit the debt ceiling, there are some in this Chamber who have said that we should perhaps default to send a message that some in this country apparently are reckless with their spending habits. Now, parenthetically, this is, of course, a complete mischaracterization of what the debt ceiling actually represents. It's not a forward-looking vehicle designed to give the President the opportunity to spend more. It's a backward-looking vehicle designed to allow this administration, or any administration, to pay bills that this Congress has already incurred. But whenever we talk about the debt, my friends on the other side of the aisle raise it as a moral imperative. I think the fact that we've got student loan debt in America that now exceeds, as the chart illustrates, more than $1 trillion is really what imperils future generations in this country. You've got young people saddled with, on average, in excess of $25,000 per person in debt facing a tough job market, with the inability often to find employment in their field of endeavor, to start a family, to purchase a home, the things that traditionally have been associated with pursuit of the American Dream. The prescription that has been put forth by the other side, as it relates to how to alleviate this debt connected to students, is very different than the one that, I think, we on this side of the aisle have chosen to offer. Let me now yield to the gentleman from Nevada if he might elaborate on our CBC vision for how to deal with the student loan problem or the education of young people in America.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for his extremely insightful comments and for his leadership on this issue. We have also been joined by another dynamic member of the freshman class, who has taken the Capitol by storm with her intelligence and elegance. We are thankful for her leadership. Let me yield to the distinguished gentlelady from Ohio, Representative Joyce Beatty.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, let me now yield to a great fighter for education and for social and economic justice here in the Congress and in this Nation, the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).

Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank the gentleman from Nevada. We will not, as he indicated, support any budget that balances itself on the backs of children or young people or college students in America. Unfortunately, that is the budget that has been put forth by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. We support a balanced approach to dealing with the economic problems that we have in this country that involves the investment in education. That is what we stand for. That's what is good for America. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JEFFRIES. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Again, I thank the Representative from New Jersey for making it clear that all children in this country deserve the opportunity to be part of a pipeline toward progress and prosperity, even though some, unfortunately, have been subjected to circumstances that often lead to a pipeline from the schoolhouse to the jailhouse. That's not how things should be anywhere in America. And that's why we believe a robust investment in education is the right way to go in this country. I'm going to ask the distinguished gentleman from the Silver State for his observations on this chart. The chart illustrates that education pays. If you invest in education, increase the level of degree of attainment, what it does is increase the capacity for Americans to earn a better living. And so, for example, for Americans who have less than a high school diploma, their average weekly earning is $451. But someone with a high school diploma earns, on average, $638 per week. And someone with a bachelor's degree earns, on average, $1,053 per week. If you give an American an advanced degree, their average earnings per week increase to in excess of $1,600. Investing in education pays for the American people. I yield to my distinguished colleague from Nevada.