Rep. Kline optimistic on education reform, calls torture report 'purely partisan'

Fresh off the close of the 2014 Congressional session, Minnesota Rep. John Kline said Monday that he expects more legislation to smoothly pass in Washington with a Republican-led House and Senate next year, including initiatives for education reform.

Kline, a Republican representing Minnesota's Second District, sat down with reporters before taking a holiday break. The veteran Congressman was optimistic about 2015, saying a new GOP majority in the session will likely bring a sea change by allowing more bills to the floor.

"The Republicans are determined to overuse the term 'Regular Order,' Kline said. "I expect to see a very different process where legislation will move, contrary to the past six years."

'Purely Partisan'
He called last week's release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report that alleging torture against alleged terrorists "purely partisan."

"This is created by Senate Democrat staffers to criticize the CIA and previous administration," Kline said. "There may be things that are true concerning torture, and maybe not, but I don't like a one-party report. There's not one Republican drop of ink in that report."

Torture, he said, "Should not be a partisan issue. We should not give (this report) objective credibility."

Education reform
Kline, who cruised to a seventh term last month, will continue chairing the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Along with his Senate counterpart Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Kline said his first priority is replacing No Child Left Behind and reducing the role of the federal government in K-12 education. Whatever the new act is called, the name "No Child Left Behind" is history.

Key components for reform will be reallocating money to fund special education, which he said is currently underfunded by half. Kline said they've set an ambitious timeline, getting the bill through committee by February and ideally passing it by summer. Beyond that, he said, the presidential campaigns begin their full swing, making it more difficult to pass legislation.

In higher education, Kline also said they'd like to simplify student loans and grants, while creating transparency about the true costs of college.

While Kline said he has a good working relationship with Duncan and U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, he didn't' pull punches when referring to President Obama.

"I just think this White House is more inept and less functional than anything I've seen in a long time," he said.

Kline and GOP Rep. Erik Paulsen were the only two members of the entire Minnesota delegation who supported the continuing resolution to fund the federal government, which passed the House last week and the Senate over the weekend. Kline said he would rather vote on each of the appropriations bills separately, rather than a giant omnibus that funded all but the Department of Homeland Security through Sept. 30.

Eye toward the future
Kline declined to say whether he would consider running for an eighth term in two years.
"Anybody can step away anytime," he said, adding that at this point he has no plans to leave his seat.

Kline also said it too early to say which Republican he would back for a presidential run, and acknowledged the field would likely be large. Generally speaking, he said he would prefer the executive experience of a governor over a candidate who serves as Senator.