Conflict calls for attention, but after that conflict has been overcome and it’s time to reap the rewards, all eyes have moved to the next conflict. U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., lamented this as he praised the long, bipartisan struggle that helped Congress pass the reauthorization of Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act this week.

“If there is a controversy, if people are cursing each other or making unusual comments, that makes the paper,” Enzi said. “But to actually do something – to actually get something done and to get it done in a bipartisan way – people working together, virtually unanimously – they say ‘well that must have been too easy.’ Well if it was easy, we wouldn’t have been working on it since 2006. But we got it done and it is on its way to the president and I am proud of it.”

According to Enzi, the bill would modernize CTE with other federal workforce programs, promote collaboration between stakeholders and local businesses to develop programs and enable the limited funds provided by this program to be more effectively spent on education and less on complying with federal reporting requirements. The bill would provide states with greater authority to ensure they can meet the unique challenges they each face.

During his speech on the senate floor today, Enzi thanked Senators Bob Casey, D-Pa., Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., for their efforts and support over the years that helped create a bill with strong bipartisan support. Enzi also applauded the Trump Administration, and Ivanka Trump in particular, for putting the spotlight on the reauthorization of the Perkins Act, and workforce development generally.

“It is only appropriate that one of the clearest displays of bipartisanship in the 115th Congress would be in support of our workforce and the students preparing to join it,” Enzi said.

Click here for the full statement from Enzi.