Here’ my response to the release of details contained in the House continuing resolution:
Ensuring students can graduate into the workforce should be one of the top priorities of Congress. However, the details of the proposed budget extension sends the opposite message to students and families by cutting Pell grant aid more than 9 million students rely on to cross the college finish line and into the workforce. The current budget proposal would cut the maximum Pell award by $845.
Higher education drives economic growth. Right now, 80 percent of our nations fastest growing jobs require higher education above a high school level. Pell grants help students pay for college and enter our workforce but some students aren’t crossing the finish line. This decade, three million college-qualified students will fail to get a degree because they cannot afford college. Pell grants help keep our students on track to graduation.
The Pell Grant is the nation’s cornerstone financial aid program, providing scholarship aid to 9.2 million students a year.