Clinton/Gore '96





PRESS RELEASE
September 9, 1996

STATEMENT BY JOE LOCKHART
NATIONAL PRESS SECRETARY

Bob Dole today put education at the top of the list of programs he will cut to pay for his $550 billion economic scheme. Dole said today he wants to "cut out" the Department of Education. But that's only where the Dole economic plan begins. With programs like Medicare, Defense and Veterans programs off the table, Dole's economic plan will mean more than 40 percent cuts in all education programs from Safe and Drug Free Schools to college scholarships.

Bob Dole's rare economic candor in eliminating the Department of Education today indicates the short-sighted and risky nature of his economic plan. Bob Dole is telling America that at his first cabinet meeting there will be no one there to speak for education. President Clinton believes education is the key to building an economic bridge to the 21st century. If Bob Dole was really "listening to America," education would be a top priority, not the top of his hit list for spending cuts.

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Bob Dole's Plan To Cut Education

DOLE ADMITTED TODAY THAT HE WOULD "CUT OUT" EDUCATION DEPARTMENT:
Dole has not specified where most of the cuts would come from to pay for his risky economic scheme. In the past Dole had said, "We don't have every dollar worked out." However, while campaigning in Georgia today, Dole said, "We're going to cut out the Department of Education..." [CBS This Morning, 8/12/96; Dole "Listening To America" event (Georgia), 9/9/96]

DOLE'S 40% CUTS IN EDUCATION WOULD MEAN:
Dole's risky economic scheme would cause 40% cuts in a broad range of federal programs, including education: A 40% cut in education would mean:
2.7 Million Children Could be Denied Basic and Advanced Skills Assistance from Title I Education Funding Which Currently Helps 6.8 Million School-Children Nationwide.
16 Million of the Current 40 Million School-Children Protected by Safe and Drug Free Schools Could be Denied Safe & Drug Free Schools Services, or services could be drastically reduced in each of the 97% of school districts that currently use Safe and Drug Free Schools funds to keep schools safe and our children drug free.
1.45 Million Students could be denied Pell Grant Scholarships, or, Pell Grant awards could have to be reduced by 40% for the 3.6 million Pell Grant recipients. [Calculations based on current budget]

1995 DOLE/GINGRICH BUDGET CUT EDUCATION BY $31 BILLION -- MOST IN HISTORY:.
The 1995 (FY96) Dole/Gingrich budget would have cut Education and Training by $31 billion over 7 years -- the largest cuts in history. Dole voted for this budget on November 17, 1996. [CBO, Analysis of HR 2491, 11/16/95, FY96 Budget Resolution Conference Agreement; FY97 Budget Report, Chart 8-1]

1996 DOLE/GINGRICH BUDGET TRIED TO CUT EDUCATION BY $24 BILLION:
The 1996 (FY97) Dole/Gingrich budget would have cut Education and Training by $24 billion over six years. [OMB]

FOLLOWING THROUGH ON THE EXTREMIST 1996 GOP PLATFORM:
Bob Dole's 1996 Republican platform states, "As a first step in reforming government, we support elimination of the Departments of ... Education." [1996 Republican Party Platform]





Paid for by Clinton/Gore ’96 General Committee, Inc.