Speech File Material: Information about Nixon's Record on Education, 21 Jan and 22 Feb 1972

nea NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION · 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC (202 833-4000 DONALD E. MORRISON, President SAM M LAMBERTY, Executive Secretary

January 21,1972

MEMORANDUM

TO: Julian Bond

From: Mary Condon Gereau National Education Association

Mr. Tony Harrison of the National League of Cities asked that I send you some data on Nixon's record on education. This is for the AASA speech in Atlantic City in mid February.

Inaugural Message -- January 1969 -- he didn't mention education.

January 1970 -- Vetoed HEW appropriation, on television with excuse that funds for education were exorbitant and inflationary. Congress failed to override veto (by vote of 226-191 -- less than required 2/3) but sent forward another bill only slightly less than the first, which the President signed. (He also held a gala reception for the 191 who voted to sustain his veto.)

August 15, 1970 -- Vetoed Education Appropriations, again as being excessive. Both House and Senate overrode veto. Funds appropriated have not all been released to local schools and to colleges -- about 30 million still held up -- along with funds for pollution control, other social purposes.

In the summer of 1970 President asked for funds (75 million) for assisting districts with "desegregation problems." Later investigation by Sen. Mondale's Committee on Equal Educational Opportunity indicates these funds were channelled, in open disregard of HEW staff recommendations, to non deserving districts -- in some cases without even an application from the district. This was a forerunner to the Presiden'ts so-called desgregation bill.

September 1971 -- As a verison of a bill to provide $1.5 billion over a 2 year period to help desegregating school districts was moving through the House the President, following the Charlotte-Mechlenbury ^g decision asked the Congress to specifically prohibit the use of federal funds to achieve racial balance. This came shortly before school opened in 1971 and caused great turmoil, set integration back drastically -- made school districts in an intenable position. The Congress did add the anti-busing amendments to the bill in December 1971.

-2-

In December 1971 the President vetoed the OEO -- Child Development bill which would have authorized $2.5 billion to begin a system of child day care centers (with health and education emphasis) for children from all economic strata, free to the poor, available to others at a sliding scale fee. The reasons for the veto were identical, even to phrasing, of John Birch literature opposing the program as inimical to the structure of the family (!)

See also attached excerpts relative to school lunch controversy in the fall of 1971.

Nixon also openly promised aid to parochial schools, but has never mentioned plight of public schools until State of Union speech on January 20, 1972.

The President's Wage-Price Board also refused to allow teachers to receive pay as provided in contracts agreed to before August 14, the date of the wage price freeze. Not until Congress passed Phase II and ordered teachers to be paid, despite administration objections did the issues begin to be resovled. Even so, the Wage Board delayed implementing the retro-active pay until well into the beginning of the New Year.

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[image left top margin] Washington Memo ON FEDERAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS NEA OFFICE OF LEGISLATION AND FEDERAL RELATIONS / 1201 16th Street, N.W. / Washington, D.C. 20036

Lost: $1.1 Billion for Schools February 2, 1970

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES VETOED THE EDUCATION MONEY BILL AND THEN THREW A PARTY FOR THE 191 CONGRESSMEN WHO SUPPORTED HIM

On January 28 the White House held a reception for 191 Members of the House of Representataives who had just voted against adequate funding of federal education programs. These Congressmen sustained President Nixon's veto of $4.2 billion for the U.S. Office of Education.

Mr. Nixon's action as PResident is consistent with his previous record as Vice President: in 1960 he cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate which tabled a general aide to education bill.

HOW DID YOUR CONGRESSMAN VOTE ON THE EDUCATION BETO? The record voe (see p.3) was 226 against it, 191 for it. Voting against Mr. Nixon were 100 Deomcrats and 27 Republicians. The vote to sustain the veto included 35 Democrats and 156 Republicans. Many of the latter switched their positions at the last minute. We'd like to know why.

NIXON ON EDUCATION In 1968 Candidate Nixon said, "When we talk about cutting the expense of government -- either federal, state, or local -- the one area we can't short-change is education.

"Education is the area in which we must do everything that is necessary to help achieve the American Dream...."

In 1969 President Nixon emasculated the education budget by slashing funds for vial programs. The Nixon budget asked no money for school libraries or textbooks; no money for instructional equipment, guidance, and testing; only 15% of the authorized amount for handicapped children, 25% of authorization for bilingual education; and 39% of authorization for the educationly deprived children.

In 1970 President Nixon vetoed $1.1 billion in increased funds for education voted by Congress.

"Wild Crazy Inflationary Kids!" [lower left margin with comic picture of kids holding sign saying PLEASE HELP OUR SCHOOLS] @1970 Hechlock Copyright 1970 by Hechlock in the Washington Post

EFFECTS OF THE NIXON VETO

The maintenance of existing programs will require increased local property taxation if Congress accepts the Fiscal 1970 budget, according to studies by the NEA. We have been informed that schools may be forced to close in such big cities as Dallas and San Diego. In addition, six districts involving some 35,000 pupils in Ohio will definitely not open in September because of a lack of federal impact aid funds. Further, several districts will be affected by closing drastically curtailed education programs in Oklahoma.

Commenting on the Nixon veto, NEA President George D. Fischer declared: "This mone bill was betoed...by a cynical and ill-advised Predident....We must put first things first. The Federal Government should be providing on-third of the money required to operate our schools. Instead, its share of school funding has actually dropped over the past two years, from eight per cent to 6.6 per cent."

FALLACIES OF THE NIXON VETO

In his veto message to Congress, President Nixon offered three basic arguments which collapse in the face of logic and economic good sense.

1. It's inflationary. To Mr. Nixon, the addition of $1.1 billion to the education budget would be inflationary. He told Congress and the Nation that education costs more today, and that adding more federal funds would fan the flames of inflation. Morever, deficit spending in the Sixties caused a price rise of 25%.

Answer: The President doesn't tell us that the increase for education represents only one-half of one per cent of the total federal budget -- a figure that could hardly be called inflationary. More inportantly, investment in youth is actually counter-inflationary. Well educated citizens get good jobs and pay taxes far in excess, over a lifetime, than the moeny invested in their education. The under-educated become the unemployed and under-employed in our soceity, absorbing rather than paying taxes. The 'deficit spending' argument ignores the fact that during the Sixties family income nationally rose and average of 54% (in some areas it rose as much as 74%)

2. The programs are wrong. The President declared that the added funds are for "low priority" programs, federal programs whose value is in doubt.

Answer: Lower priority, perhaps in the view of the Executive, but not necessarily in the view of Congress. The bill vetoed by the President provided substantial increases for programs which Congress, teachers, and supporters of education considered vital to the national interest: programs for the educationally deprived; supplementary education services and centers; school library resources; guidance, counseling, and testing; programs to upgrade teacher skill; development and expansion of vocational education; higher education facilities; and library services.

3. The timing is wrong. The President argued that because of the lateness in the fiscal year, "increases of this magnitude cannot be used effectively in many cases."

Answer:. The President has had the power to use funds for the puroses and in the magnitude of H.R. 13111 since October 31,1969. This power was contained in a continuing resolution to which Mr. Nixon gave his approval. Moreoever, school districts planned 1969/70 programs on the basis of the appropriation passed by the House last July. Commitments must be met, and any surplus resulting from the late funding could be carried over to Fiscal 1971.

And a good measure of blame for the late appropriation must be shared by the Administration, which was late in proposing a budge, and which did not testify on the appropiration until October.

Follwing is the record vote on the President's Veto of H. R. 13111, the Fiscal 1970 appropriation for the Departments of Labor and Health, Educaton, and Welfare. A Yea vote favored overriding the Nixon Veto; a Nay vote was to sustain the President's position.

January 28, 1970 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - HOUSE H 457

[three colums] [first column] The SPEAKER. The question is, Will the House, on reconsideraton, pass the bill, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding?

Under the Consisution, this vote must be determined by the yeas and nays.

The question was taken; and there were - yeas 226, nays 191, not voting 15, as follows:

(Roll No. 7) YEAS - 326

Adams	Flood	Mahon
Addabbo	Foley	Matsunaga
Albert	Forey,	Meeds
Alexander	William D.	Melcher
Anderson,	Foreman	Mikva
Calif.	Fraser	Miller, Calif.
Abderson,	Friedel	Mills
Tenn.	Fulton, Pa.	Minish
Andrews, Ala	Fuqua	Mink
Annunzio	Gallfianakis	Mollohan
Ashley	Gallagher	Moorehead
Aspinall	Garmatz	Morgan
Baring	Gaydos	Moss
Barrett	Giaimo	Murphy, III
Bevill	Gibbons	Murphy, N. Y.
Blaggi	Gilbert	Natcher
Blester	Gonzalez	Nedzi
Bingham	Gray	Nichols
Blanton	Green, Oreg.	Nix
Blatnik	Green, Pa.	Obey
Boggs	Griffiths	O'Hara
Boland	Gude	Olsen
Bolling	Halpern	O'Neill, Mass.
Brademas	Hamilton	Ottinger
Brasco	Hanley	Patman
Brooks	Hanna	Patten
Brown, Calif.	Hansen, Wash.	Pepper
Brown, Ohio	Harrington	Perkins
Burke, Mass.	Harsha	Pettis
Burlison, Mo.	Hataway	Philbia
Burton, Calif.	Hays	Pickle
Burton, Utah	Hechler, W. Va.	Pike
Button	Heckler, Mass	Pirnie
Byrne, Pa.	Helstoski	Poage
Cabell	Henderson	Podell
Carey	Hicks	Pollock
Casey	Hogan	Powell
Celler	Holifield	Preyer, N.C.
Chisholm	Horton	Price, Ill
Clark	Howard	Pryor, Ark.
Clay	Hull	Pucinski
Cohelan	Hungate	Purcell
Conte	Ichord	Randall
Conyers	Jacobs	Rees
Cowger	Johnson, Calif.	Reid, N. Y.
Culver	Jones, Ala.	Reuss
Daddario	Jones, N. C.	Roberts
Daniels, N.J.	Jones, Tenn.	Rodino
de la Garza	Karth	Roe
Delaney	Kastenmeier	Rogers, Colo.
Dent	Kazen	Rooney, N.Y.
Diggs	Kee	Rooney, Pa.
Dingell	Kluczuski	Rosenthal
Donohue	Koch	Rostenkowaki
Dorn	Kyros	Roybal
Downing	Leggett	Ruppe
Dulski	Lennon	Ryan
Eckhardt	Long, Md	St Germain
Edmendson	Lowenstein	St. Onge
Edwardsm Calif.	McCarthy	Scheuer
Ellberg	McGlory	Shipley
Evans, Colo	McDade	Sikes
Fallon	McFall	Sisk
Farbstein	McKneally	Slack
Fascell	Macdonald,	Smith, Iowa
Felghan	Mass.	Stafford
Fisher	Madden	Staggers

[second column]

Steed	Udall	Whitehurst
Stokes	Ullman	Whitten
Stratton	Van Deerlin	Wilson,
Stubblefield	Vanik	Charles H.
Sullivan	Vigorito	Wright
Symington	Waldie	Yates
Taylor	Watts	Yatron
Thompson, N.J.	Wetcker	Young
Tiernan	Whalen	Zablocki
Tunney	White	Zwach

NAYS - 191

Abbitt	Findley	Myers
Abernethy	Fish	Nelsen
Adair	Flowers	O'Konski
Anderson, Ill.	Flynt	O'Neal, Ga.
Andrews	Ford, Gerald R.	Passman
N. Dak.	Fountain	Pelly
Arends	Frey	Poff
Ashbrook	Gettys	Price, Tex.
Ayres	Goldwater	Quie
Beall, Md.	Gooding	Quillen
Belcher	Griffin	Rallsback
Bell, Calif.	Gross	Rarick
Bennett	Grover	Reid, Ill.
Berry	Gubser	Reifel
Betts	Hagan	Rhodes
Blackburn	Haley	Riegle
Bow	Hall	Rivers
Bray	Hammer-	Robison
Brinkley	Schmidt	Rogers, Fla.
Brock	Hansen, Idaho	Roth
Broomfield	Harvey	Roudebush
Brorzman	Hastins	Ruth
Brown, Mich.	Hosmer	Sandman
Broyhill, N.C,	Hunt	Satterfield
Broyhill, Va.	Hutchinson	Saylor
Buchannan	Jarman	Schadeberg
Burleson, Tex.	Johnson, Pa.	Scherie
Bush	Jonas	Schneebell
Byrnes, Wis.	Keith	Schwengel
Caffery	King	Scott
Camp	Kleppe	Sebelius
Carter	Kuydendall	Shriver
Cederburg	Kyl	Skubitz
Chamberlain	Landgrebe	Smith, Calif.
Chappel	Landrum	Smith, N.Y.
Clancy	Langen	Snyder
Clausen,	Latta	Springer
Don H.	Long, La.	Stanton
Clawson, Del	Lujan	Steiger, Ariz.
Cleveland	Lukens	Steiger, Wis.
Collier	Mccloskey	Stephens
Collins	McClure	Stuckey
Colmaer	McCulloch	Taft
Conable	McDonald	Talcott
Corbett	Mich.	Teague, Tex
Coughlin	McEwen	Thompson, Ga.
Cramer	McMillan	Thomson, Wis.
Crane	MacGregor	Utt
Cunningham	Maillard	Vander Jagt
Daniel, Va.	Mann	Waggoner
Davis, Wis.	Marsh	Wampler
Dellenback	Martin	Watkins
Denney	Mathias	Watson
Dennis	May	Whalley
Derwinski	Mayne	Widnail
Devine	Meskill	Wiggins
Dickinson	Michel	Williams
Dowdy	Miller, Ohio	Wilson, Bob
Duncan	Minshall	Winn
Dwyer	Mize	Wold
Edwards, Ala.	Mizell	Wyatt
Edwards, La.	Montgomery	Wydler
Erlenborn	Morse	Wylie
Esch	Morton	Wyman
Eshleman	Mosher	Zion

NOT VOTING - 15

Burke, Fla.	Frelinghuysen	Lipscomb
Corman	Fulton, Tenn.	Lloyd
Davis, Ga.	Hawkins	Monagan
Dawson	Hebert	Teague, Calr.
Evius, Tenn.	Kirwan	Wolff

[third column] So, two-thirds not having voted in favor thereof, the veto of the President was sustained and the bill was rejected.

The Clerk announced the following pairs:

On this vote: Mr. Kirwan and Mr. Hawkins for, with Mr. Hebert against.

Mr. Wolff and Mr. Fulton of Tennessee for, with Mr. Burke of Florida against.

Mr. Corman and Mr. Dawson for, with Mr. Frelinghuysen against.

Until futher notice: Mr. Evins of Tennessee with Mr. Lipscomb.

Mr. Davis of Georgia with Mr. Teague of California.