DeLauro Fights to Preserve Education Funding
Visits Middlesex Community College to speak with continuing education students
New Haven, CT — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) visited Middlesex Community College in Middletown, CT today to speak with students who have returned to school to earn a degree and better their chances of finding a job.
The Congresswoman toured the campus and held a roundtable discussion with a group of students to learn about their decision to return to school and the employment they hope to find after graduation. She discussed the changes over the last few years to the student loan program, and explained how those changes are benefitting students across the country. Congresswoman DeLauro also spoke about how important federal funding is for education, and how Middlesex Community College and its students could be affected by the proposed Republican budget cuts.
“With jobs hard to come by in this economy and the marketplace ever more competitive, it pays to have skills that employers value, and it pays to have an education. That is one of the many reasons why I fought to make college available and affordable for every young person in America a number one priority in the last few years. Last Congress, I worked to reform our student loan system so everyone can have a chance to go to college. I voted to change the student loan program, saving more than 60 billion over the next ten years, and used these funds to enhance financial aid and increase funding for Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, and community colleges. I believe that higher education opens doors of possibility and opportunity to every American, and that we are a stronger, richer country when everyone has the means to get an education and pursue their dreams.
“This year, however, the new majority in the House are looking for ways to cut federal spending, including these investments in education. I am concerned many of these cuts will fall disproportionately on the people who most need help – those who are working hard to make it in this economy. It will mean that the vital aid to students at Middlesex who receive Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Work Study assistance, and career and technical education grants, could be cut.
“This is not the direction we should be moving. We need to be expanding opportunities for Americans to get an education and find good jobs, not rolling them back. These difficult economic times mean students need more help to get an education, not less. In order to continue innovating and competing – in order to lead the world – we have to give every American the opportunity to get an education and make a better life for themselves and their family. And that is what I will continue to fight for, each and every day in Congress.”