Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education Sally L. Stroup today issued the following statement in response to U.S. Rep. George Miller (Calif.) on Federal Pell Grant funding:

"We could not agree more with Congressman Miller that the $3.7 billion shortfall is a serious problem that must be addressed. That's why we are committed to working with Congress to retire the shortfall without cutting student awards, and will work to strengthen and enhance the Pell Grant Program for the future. We will continue to fight to protect this program so that millions of low-income Americans can pursue their college dreams.

"We regret that Mr. Miller misunderstood the President's proposal. Contrary to Mr. Miller's assertion, the president's proposal would not cause any cuts to students' Pell Grant awards, nor would it be used to fund other education programs. Interestingly, it is just the opposite: this proposal eliminates a gimmick that Congress has used in recent years to deliberately underfund Pell Grants.

"The president has proposed that Congress fully meet its obligations to students seeking a higher education by fully funding those obligations on an annual basis in the future. Specifically, 'The administration's proposed scoring rule change would remove any incentive [for Congress] to appropriate less than the estimated cost for the Federal Pell Grant program...' (Budget of the United States Government FY05, Analytical Perspectives, page 218.)

"The president's budget would fully fund the Pell Grant Program for every eligible student in the 2005-2006 award year. If Congress follows the president's lead and fully meets its obligations to students each year, we will prevent the past funding shortfalls from worsening in the future. We look forward to working with Congress on this important issue."

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