Increased Education Spending. \"This amendment just simply says,\" according to author Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), that \"we should go from $8.36 billion to $10 billion — a slight increase.\" Only a profligate socialist who is generous with someone else\’s money — in this case, money owned by U.S. taxpayers — could term a $1.64 billion increase \"slight.\" The pending fiscal 2001 appropriation of $8.36 billion for Title I education spending already represented a five percent increase over fiscal 2000.
The Senate rejected a motion to waive the Budget Act on the Wellstone amendment to H.R. 4577 on June 27, 2000 by a vote of 47-52 (Roll Call 146). Having failed to get the three-fifths vote needed to waive the Budget Act, the point of order against the Wellstone amendment was upheld and the amendment fell. We have assigned pluses to the nays.