XXXX Voted Against $500 Million for Education Funding. In March 2005, XXXX voted against an amendment that increased fiscal year 2006 funding for the National Institutes of Health by $1.5 billion and education funding by $500 million. The increase was to be offset by a $2 billion cut in the Allowances account. Critics of the bill argued that the bill increased discretionary spending by $2 billion and that government could not afford to increase discretionary spending by $2 billion given the large federal deficit. [Vote 56, 3/16/05] XXXX Did Not Vote On A $4.75 Billion Education Funding Hike. In March 2005, XXXX did not vote on an amendment that would have restored fiscal year 2006 education funding to its fiscal 2005 levels, a $4.75 billion increase. The amendment XXXX did not vote on would have restored funding for 48 education programs slated for elimination by President Bush, including Career and Technical Education, Safe and Drug-Free Schools, education technology state grants, and the TRIO and GEAR-UP programs. In addition the bill would have reduced the federal debt by $4.75 billion and would have been offset by a $9.5 billion reduction in tax cuts. [Vote 45, 3/14/05; Sacramento Bee, 3/15/05; NEA Congressional Report Card] XXXX Opposed $8.6 Billion in Education Funding Increases To Fully Fund NCLB. In 2004, XXXX voted against a proposal that would have created a reserve fund to allow for an increase of up to $8.6 billion in education programs. It also increased the amount dedicated for deficit reduction by $8.6 billion. The spending would have been offset by revenue increases. [Vote 35, 3/10/04] XXXX Voted Against Across-the-Board Education Cut. On September 10, 2003, XXXX voted against an amendment that would have increased after-school funding by $100 million, offset with an across the board cut. The vote was on the Ensign amendment, which would provide an additional $100 million for after school programs under the 21st Century Learning Center Program, but only through a $100 million CUT in other education programs. McConnell was one of only seven Senators to support the Ensign amendment. [Vote 344, 9/10/03] XXXX Voted To Implement NCLB Without Full Title I Funding. On September 10, 2003, XXXX voted against an amendment that would have prohibited the implementation of the “NCLB Act” if the amount appropriated for Title I in the underlying Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill was less than $18.5 billion— the amount authorized by the NCLB Act. The amendment was rejected 28-67. [Vote 342, 9/10/03] XXXX Opposed $6.2 Billion for Title I Programs to Fully Fund NCLB. In September 2003, XXXX voted against an amendment that would have provided an additional $6.2 billion for Title I programs. The substitute amendment would have provided the funding as part of a $472.2 billion package in fiscal 2004 for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education and related agencies. [Vote 330, 9/9/03] XXXX Voted For $20 Billion In Aid to States, Half for Education or Job Training. In 2003, XXXX voted for an amendment that would authorize $10 billion a year for two years for states and localities, including $5 billion a year for grants for education or job training, health care or other social services, transportation or infrastructure, and law enforcement or public safety. The remaining $5 billion per year would be for a temporary increase in federal Medicaid assistance to states. [S 1054, Vote 157, 5/15/03; Congressional Record, 5/15/03] XXXX Voted Against Rolling Back Bush Tax Cuts by $18 Billion To Increase Education Funding. In 2003, XXXX voted against an amendment sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray that would have reduced President Bush’s tax cut by $18 billion and split the funding evenly between education and deficit reduction. The amendment would have fully funded the NCLB Act and reduced tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers. [Vote 60, 3/19/03; AP, 3/19/03] XXXX Voted Against $6 Billion in Education Funding to Fully Fund NCLB. XXXX voted against an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that would have provided $6 billion to help fully fund NCLB. [Vote 5, 1/16/03]  XXXX Voted For The Conference Report On Fiscal 2003 Appropriations that Included a $3.2 Billion Increase for Education. In February 2003, XXXX voted to adopt the conference report on the joint resolution that provided $397.4 billion in fiscal 2003 spending for all Cabinet departments and government 59