Laying the foundations for a more prosperous America starts with ensuring that all of our children – regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, immigration status, primary language, or cognitive ability – are able to get a world class education.

Instead of stepping back and hoping our kids get a good education, I believe Congress should step up, and increase access to high-quality schools. From pre-k to college, I’m proud to serve as a senior member of the Education and Labor Committee and take a leading role in Congress in pushing for more funding and a higher quality of education at all levels.

I voted in favor of the American Rescue Plan which was signed into law and is the largest ever one-time federal investment in K-12 education. This bill also provided urgently needed funds to child care centers devastated by the pandemic.

I understand the need to make sure our English language learners have the structure they need to succeed so I have introduced the FLUEnT Act which establishes a grant program to improve the literacy and English skills of English language learners. Additionally, I introduced the Success in the Middle Act to make sure middle schools, which are often overlooked, get the funding they need to help students during crucial years of intellectual development.

I also voted in favor of the Build Back Better Act which would provide free, universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds and increase the value of Pell Grants, and I am urging the Senate to stop blocking these proposals so families can get the support they need.

I have repeatedly supported actions to make college more accessible and affordable. Faced with outrageous tuition and high interest rates on student loans, many promising students are forced to enter the workforce much earlier than they would like to. In order to ensure that these students get the education they want and deserve, we need to increase access to debt-free higher education and forgive student loans.

If Congress makes education a priority and gives it the resources it deserves, we all come out ahead. Schools should be at the top, not the bottom, of our list of things to fund and improve. We cannot allow our schools to be vouchirized so that individuals can profit off them at the expense of quality education.

I’m running for re-election because I know a lack of education is much more expensive than a good education, and I want to make sure Congress turns a corner in how it funds America’s schools.