Bush Pushes Education, Tax Cut Plans

Feb. 20, 2001 -- President Bush is mounting a two-day, three-state swing to promote his top two legislative priorities: education reform and tax cuts.

As the controversies of his predecessor, former President Clinton, continue to dominate headlines, Bush heads to Ohio, Missouri and Tennessee in an effort to build public support for his domestic agenda. The campaign-style trip comes as the administration is preparing to send its first federal budget outline to Capitol Hill next week.

Bush Calls for Testing, Defends 'Vouchers'

"The heart of education reform is accountability," Bush told teachers and parents at Sullivant Elementary School in Columbus, Ohio, this morning. "A system that refuses to be held accountable is a system that shuffles children through."

The cornerstone of Bush's education plan, dubbed "No Child Left Behind," is a controversial measure that would divert government money from failing public schools to private schools. The 28-page proposal Bush submitted to Congress last month calls for new state-developed reading and math tests to be administered on an annual basis to students in grades 3-8.

"Good education starts with high standards and the unfailing belief that every child can learn, regardless of their background or their circumstances," Bush said.

Under the president's plan, if an underachieving public school fails to make improvements over a two-year period, federal aid dollars — roughly $1,500 per child — would be diverted from the school and given to parents to spend on tuition for an alternative school of their choosing, including a private institution. The money would come directly from the public school's Title I funding — aid now given to schools in low-income districts.

Bush defended his approach from criticism by his Democratic opponents, who refer to the diversion of federal funding as "vouchers," and say it would lead to a downward spiral in the nation's public school system.

"I do believe it makes sense and is right to ask the question, 'If you receive federal money, what are the results for the money spent?'" he said. "I know that some say testing is punishment. No — testing is a diagnostic tool necessary to correct problems early, before it's too late."

Bush's $47 billion 10-year plan is also aimed at streamlining federal education funding by consolidating some 50 different programs into seven broad grants.

After visiting a class of second and third graders at Moline Elementary School in St. Louis this afternoon, Bush talked up his "Reading First" initiative, another key element of his plan.

"I am absolutely convinced that we can do a better job of teaching all children to read, because I start with the thought that all children can learn to read," he said. "I refuse to accept systems, and refuse not to challenge systems, that give up on children early."

Under the proposal, $5 billion over five years would go toward diagnosing reading problems, teacher training and intervention programs to help disadvantaged children, in an effort to ensure that all students can read by the end of the third grade. States and local school districts would have wide flexibility in deciding how to utilize the funds.

"America is a great land. It will be a greater land when every child is educated,'" Bush said.

The president is set to visit Townsend Elementary School in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday.

Congressional Democrats opposed to the use of vouchers say they have enough votes to block the Bush plan.

Relief Pitcher

The president made his case for his $1.6 trillion tax cut plan at a community center in St. Louis. He told the audience his tax cut would help restore the economy in combination with interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

"It's a fair plan," Bush told his audience. "It's your money."

Touching on the country's economic slowdown, Bush said, "We've lost some wind in our sails." He said his tax cut in combination with interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve would be the key to an upturn in the economy.

Bush also assembled what he called a "tax family," middle-class Americans whowould benefit substantially from his tax cut plan, at his St. Louisappearance. Such families had been regulars at campaign stops.

The president's proposal would slash federal tax rates across all levels of income, eliminate the so-called marriage penalty eliminated and phase out estate taxes. Democrats complain that the plan — which would cut the top rate from 39 to 33 percent — would disproportionately benefit the wealthy and unnecessarily squander expected budget surpluses.

Because the Bush tax plan would use federal funds that could go toward paying down the national debt, its opponents say the true cost of the package would exceed $2 trillion over 10 years. Some Democrats have suggested allotting roughly $900 billion to tax relief over the same period. A minority of congressional Republicans, however, say Bush's proposal does not go far enough and have called for an even larger cut.

Bush faces an uphill battle to enact his tax package, a centerpiece of his successful presidential campaign. Rep. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said last week the president's plan does not have the votes needed to pass it in the evenly divided Senate.

ABCNEWS' Tamara Lipper contributed to this report.