DeLauro, Miller: Pell Grant Cuts Will Hurt American Students, Workforce

Joined by college students and presidents to stand up against education budget cuts

Washington, DC— Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Education, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, and George Miller (CA-7), Ranking Member on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, spoke out against the proposed Republican cuts to education funding, and specifically Pell Grants.

The Representatives were joined by over 20 college students and Dr. Fred Pestello of Le Moyne College, who spoke about the importance of Pell Grants, and how a reduction or elimination of these grants would impact the accessibility of a college education.

Currently, over 9 million college students in this country rely on Pell Grants to afford college. The Republican budget cuts included in H.R. 1 would slash funding for this program by $5.7 billion, and the new budget proposed by Rep. Ryan would cut even deeper, reducing the grant amount per student by over half and kicking up to a million students out of the program.

“To get out fiscal house in order, the choice is clear– we should start by ending the $40 billion in oil company subsidies we give out every year, ending tax breaks for the wealthy, and closing loopholes that enable corporations to ship American jobs overseas. But the House Majority is choosing instead to cut critical programs and services like Pell Grants, the foundation of our student aid system. Currently, Pell Grants help make a college education possible for more than 9 million people—and many of those are students returning to learn new skills to survive this difficult economy,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “The very strength of our nation is at stake here. We should find a way to keep our commitment to Pell strong, so that millions of students can continue to take their futures in their own hands.”

“When the Democrats took control of Congress in 2006, we made a promise to strengthen the middle class and help working families. We came through on that promise, especially for college students by raising the Pell Grant to its highest level ever, and indexing it to increase with the cost of living. Cutting the Pell Grant by up to $3,950 is wrong for college students, wrong for working families and wrong for the future of this country,” said Congressman Miller. “The Republicans say their budget proposal is a path to prosperity -- without Pell, millions of college students will have no pathway at all.”