House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

"I want to welcome you here today, and invite you to use all the tools available to you on this site. I hope that you'll come back again soon."

--Rep. John Kline (R-MN)
Senior Republican Member

"This Congress, I'm looking forward to working on student loan reform and of course the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind."

--Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI) 

"I'll continue to work hard on card check, to defeat it so that workers will continue to have a say in their future ... and I'm going to work hard to make sure that we keep FFELP loans for students so that they can get the best deal possible on their student loans."

--Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA) 

"Let's return education back to its rightful place, under the control of our parents, local schools, and states -- and not the federal government." 

--Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)

"I am a strong believer in education. I think after you've dealt with the health and safety of our children, educating them is as important as anything we can do." 

--Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE)

"There will be a number of attempts in this Congress, by the liberal Democratic leadership, to both expand federal power in labor issues and education issues, and I intend to stand up for the average people in my district who do not want more federal control."

--Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN)

"I happen to be a scientist as well as a Congressman ... that's why I work very, very hard to improve math/science education in our K-12 educational system so that our kids today will get the education they need so they can get a good job in the future." 

--Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)

"My focus is on the fact that we are in a global economy, and we have to have the workforce that is able to participate with the skills and knowledge needed, particularly in math and science." 

--Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL)

"Ronald Reagan once wrote that if we want to do something for our nation's future, we need to do something for our nation's children because they are our nation's future, and that's what education is all about." 

--Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA)

"My beginning on this Committee was to work with welfare reform, which has been very successful helping people get employment and jobs. I'm also a strong supporter of maintaining education to be administered by local, elected school boards." 

--Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

"I was the first in my family to graduate from college, and I understand firsthand the challenges of affording college, but also the importance of education ... I'm also a mom of a son that has special needs, and I'm committed to ensuring that every child reaches his or her full potential." 

--Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)

"It's my privilege to work on issues that all Americans care about: the education of our children, where we're going to be with No Child Left Behind, how we're going to make it work for local communities ... issues that will put business back to work, to allow Americans to again get back to their jobs and realize their dreams." 

--Rep. Tom Price (R-GA)

"I spent 28 years teaching in the classroom and have found out over the years that oftentimes the federal government does things about education having not even a clue of how it impacts a schoolroom or a teacher on the front lines." 

--Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT)

"I've worked in manufacturing and I've seen people walk into our factory that are unskilled, with just a high school diploma, and we sent them to school ... and they've moved from unskilled work to earning a good, strong middle-class income; that's what I want to do here in Washington, to make sure that we have the workforce for the 21st Century." 

--Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY)

"My interest in education and labor comes from both that I am a teacher, and that I work in a public hospital caring for the uninsured ... I think ultimately, how well we educate our children and address the needs of working people will address how we as a country do." 

--Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)

"The best thing the federal government can do to improve our public school system is to get its nose out of our classrooms. It's high time we put our teachers back in charge of our classrooms, put our principals back in charge of our teachers, and put our parents back in charge of our teachers through our local school boards." 

--Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA)

"The middle-class drives the economic engine of America, and the only way that we're going to make sure that the middle-class keeps driving this economic engine is if they are the best trained, and the most skilled workers in the world." 

--Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA)

"I attribute a lot of my success in life to my teachers. I had wonderful teachers; I never attended anything but public schools, and I'm very committed to that ... Education is the key to a successful life." 

--Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN)

"I'm looking forward to using my experience I've had serving on a public school board for six years, serving as a member of a workforce investment board, and also as an officer with a private industry council, all looking at workforce issues and education issues." 

--Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA)