mr. speaker , i oppose the rule on the basis of an exclusion of some very pertinent amendments , but i have to respond to what i just heard . 
it is not the church that hires the individual , it is the federal government 's money that is being utilized . 
you are missing this point . 
do not , and i warn everyone about this , do not place one party against the other . 
we support faith-based , but taxpayers should not have their money taken so that one church can say you are not of this religion so you can not work for me . 
that is discrimination and it will never stand up with the constitution . 
how dare anyone say on this floor that we are allowed to separate with federal money , with federal money , the horror of tens of thousands of desperately poor americans trapped in an environment of extreme neglect , abandoned by its government , left behind to fend for themselves without the most basic resources to survive ? 
we witnessed that in the last 3 weeks . 
we witnessed the aftermath and we witnessed a wake-up call to america . 
i am proud that americans have opened their hearts in the wake of this tragedy to lend a helping hand that the government at first refused . 
america believes in giving all of its citizens the resources and opportunities to make a decent life for themselves and their families . 
america believes in bringing the buses in on time so everyone gets out , not just the wealthiest among us . 
head start is that helping hand . 
head start is bringing the buses in before the floodwaters of poverty trap people in a desperate life of illiteracy , unemployment , crumbling homes , dangerous streets , drug addiction , and no hope . 
if we did not know it before , the tragedy of hurricane katrina has reaffirmed that a head start is the very least we owe each other ; so i am pleased that there is bipartisan efforts to put this reauthorization bill together . 
it protects the basic structure of the program . 
i commend the gentleman for that . 
but do not separate those of us in this room in saying those are for values and these are not for values . 
we are talking about a very narrow scope of debate here . 
head start programs continue to address the many needs of low-income children and their families . 
in the words of cecile dickey , the former executive director of head start in paterson , new jersey , my home town , and a personal hero of mine , she was there when we started head start in this nation , and she said , `` you can not do anything for the kids without doing something for their parents , too . 
that is why we have programs designed to help them improve themselves through education and job training , as well as opportunities for them to be involved in planning activities involving their children . 
we serve the entire family unit. '' cecile is a perfect example of how head start can turn a family 's life around . 
a struggling young mother with two children working in a daycare center , she was recruited by head start as a teacher , trained at new york university . 
through head start , cecile learned that looking out for her kids meant looking out for her community , and she became a tremendous advocate for her sons . 
a struggling young mother with two children working in a day care center , she was recruited by head start as a teacher and trained at new york university . 
through head start , cecile learned that looking out for her kids meant looking out for her community , and she became a tremendous advocate for her sons , and for the children of paterson . 
cecile 's four sons , two of whom were head start children , have grown up to be surgeons , engineers , and teachers . 
cecile and other head start advocates argue that the only problem with the program is that not enough eligible children can be served . 
nationwide , nearly 50 percent of three and four year olds who qualify by their parents ' income have been denied this opportunity in the last few years . 
in paterson alone , over 2 , 000 eligible children are on the waiting list . 
a study by rutgers university has reported that high quality pre-school more than pays for itself . 
when children are enrolled in pre-school programs , mothers are better equipped to find stable , paying jobs . 
after these children leave school , they earn $ 143 , 000 more over their lifetimes and are less likely to need special education than other children . 
this program has had tremendous success at improving educational and social outcomes for children , and is a good deal for the country : it costs american taxpayers a little more than $ 6 billion a year , or one third of one percent of the national budget . 
i hope that the house today will vote for this good bipartisan bill , and will vote down any poison pill amendment that will allow hiring and firing on the basis of religious affiliation . 
this is anti-american . 
it will be a shame if all the bipartisan hard work that has gone into crafting this worthy legislation was scuttled by the cynical attempts of a few to codify discrimination into our national laws . 
no rule for more amendments should have been in order . 
i urge my colleagues in the house to continue to expand its support of a program that every american can be proud of . 
