Contrary to President’s Claim, Budget Bill Will Make Families Pay More for College
	Monday, January 23, 2006
	WASHINGTON, DC -- Representative George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House education committee, issued the following statement today after President Bush responded to a question from a student at Kansas State University about the cuts to federal college financial aid included in a budget bill that is scheduled for a final vote in the House when it reconvenes next week: “Over the next decade, financial barriers will prevent millions of qualified students from going to college. Yet rather than make college more affordable, Republican leaders in Congress are pushing a bill that forces families to pay excessive interest rates on their college loans. The bill takes $12.7 billion out of federal student aid programs in order to finance more tax breaks and giveaways for the wealthy. President Bush was correct to say that Americans need the right skills to be successful in this tough global economy, but he was dead wrong to suggest that Congress has helped people attain those skills. Rather than make aggressive investments in education to keep America’s economy number one, Congress has actually forced families to pay more for college.” More information: BUSH CONTINUES TO BREAK PROMISE ON PELL GRANT SCHOLARSHIPS: On the campaign trail in 2000, then-Governor Bush promised he would raise the Pell Grant scholarship to $5,100 [Washington Post, October 14, 2004]. Six years later, the maximum Pell is worth just $4,050. In inflation-adjusted terms, the Pell is worth $900 less than it was worth in 1975-76.  REPUBLICAN BUDGET BILL MAKES WORKING FAMILIES PAY MORE FOR COLLEGE: For more information, visit http://www.house.govrel121805b.html. DEMOCRATS HAVE PLAN TO KEEP AMERICA #1: House Democrats recently unveiled their ‘Innovation Agenda – A Commitment to Competitiveness to Keep America #1.”  For more information, visit: http://www.house.gov/georgemiller/press/innovation.html.  ###

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