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President has called for shifting money out of Pell Grants to fund other non-educational programs
By Miriam Raftery
May 21, 2017 (San Diego) — Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) along with three other legislators has introduced the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act to help students offset rising costs of college by permanently indexing Pell Grants to inflation. The bill also makes Pell Grant funding mandatory, providing students with security and stability, raises the maximum award for low-income students, and restores eligibility for students who were defrauded.
Nearly 8 million students currently receive Pell Grants, or over 40% of students enrolled in higher education, so the impacts of the bill, if approved, would be widespread.
Others authors are Representative Bobby Scott of Vermont and Senators Patty Murray of Washington and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, all Democrats. The bill could face an uphill battle, since both houses of Congress are currently under Republican control.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that all students have access to a quality education without the fear of a lifetime of debt,” said Representative Davis. “I’m thrilled to introduce this comprehensive legislation, with Ranking Member Scott and Senators Hirono and Murray, aimed at making the Pell program more sustainable. This bill will increase the purchasing power of the Pell grant and give low-income students access to the education they need to get to the middle-class and beyond.”
Senator Murray notes that earning a college degree is the key to opportunity for so many low-income students, but that “far too many students must take on massive amounts of debt just to get the skills and education they need to get a good job with a decent living.” Murray adds, “As a recipient of Pell Grants myself, I know firsthand the danger of President Trump’s vision for slashing student aid. Instead, I will keep fighting to make college more affordable for students across the country.”
The Pell Grant Preservation & Expansion Act also extends the program to DREAMers and restores eligibility to incarcerated individuals, encouraging them to support themselves and their families, upon release. The bill also increases support for working students, expands eligibility to short-term job training programs of high quality, and increases Pell Grant eligibility to 14 semesters to give non-traditional students more flexibility to complete their degrees.
The Pell Grant program began under the Higher Education Act enacted 52 years ago, investing in students to help them succeed. The Pell Grant program is the largest source of federally-funded grant aid for postsecondary education
Unfortunately, as college costs have risen dramatically in recent decades, the purchasing power of the Pell Grant has reached a record low. Additionally, large fluctuations in the economy have created uncertainty that funding will be there to support students with financial need.
Instead of introducing proposals to secure the Pell Grant program in light of these challenges, President Trump has proposed to raid $3.9 billion from the Pell Grant program in Fiscal Year 2018 to pay for a border wall, increased defense spending, and other priorities.
The bill’s authors say that the President’s raid would severely destabilize the funding of the Pell Grant program and potentially lead to slashing award levels or cutting many students out of the program entirely, pushing college even further out of reach for low-income students and driving many students deeper into debt.
The text of the Pell Grant Preservation & Expansion Act can be found HERE.
Fact sheet on the Pell Grant Preservation & Expansion Act can be found HERE
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