[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 61 (Monday, April 3, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H4082-H4083]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  FEDERAL STUDENT AID PROGRAMS TARGETED TO PAY FOR THE CONTRACT WITH 
                                AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. (Mr. Kingston). Under a previous order of 
the House, the gentleman from California [Mr. Miller] is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, this 
past Friday the gentlewoman from San Francisco, CA [Ms. Pelosi] and the 
gentlewoman from the Palo Alto Valley south of San Francisco, CA [Ms. 
Eshoo] and myself held a hearing to listen to both school 
administrators, and parents and young people who are attending our 
university system, private university system, our public university 
system, the California State University system, and our community 
colleges, and who were doing so because of the availability of student 
loans and the interest subsidy that we provide on those student loans 
while young people are attending school and for a 6-month period after 
they graduate from school or cease to attend school before they start 
paying back those school loans. What we heard was a rather remarkable 
set of stories from young people and their parents, some young people 
on their own and some accompanied by their parents, telling us what 
their families are doing, are prepared to do and have done in the past 
to try and secure the opportunity of higher education, of a college 
education and degree, for their young people. They have made personal 
sacrifices in trying to obtain savings so that they can provide for 
their children. Many of them have refinanced their houses, gone into 
the workplace, worked extra hours, and yet still they do not have 
sufficient money to attend the State university system or the UC 
system, or our private universities, and, as a result of that, they 
have used the student loans that are made a part of the fabric of 
American society because of the Federal student loan program. Many of 
those students have also used the campus-based programs, work study 
programs, to provide additional moneys, and what we heard was the kind 
of sacrifices that hard-working American families of modest means in 
most instances are prepared to make so that their children will have, 
in some cases, a better education than their parents, 
[[Page H4083]] but certainly so they will have an opportunity to have 
that education so that they can participate to the fullest possible 
extent in American society, and certainly in the American economic 
system, and yet what we see in the illustrative list of cuts being
 proposed by the Republicans is what could cost California some $266 
million in student aid that otherwise would be flowing to those 
students.

  Mr. Speaker, what we heard from the people testifying was in some 
instances this would mean that they could no longer continue school. 
Others would have to reduce the number of classes they take and try to 
increase the number of hours that they are already working today, which 
means they would have to be in school for a longer period of time and 
then borrow more money because they were in school for an extra 
semester or an extra quarter to achieve their degree. We heard from 
such individuals as May Wu who was at Stanford Law School. She said,

       After I graduate, my monthly payments for school loans 
     alone will be approximately $1,000 . . . it would have been 
     substantially higher, and therefore beyond my reach, if not 
     for the availability of federally-subsidized low-interest 
     loans.

  Michael Rodriguez told us, as he filled out his application, he never 
knew that student loans existed. He was a 9-year veteran of the Marine 
Corps, and somebody told him while he was in Kuwait, while he was 
fighting in Desert Storm, that he filled out his application in the 
foxhole, and he says,

       I give thanks every day that programs like financial aid 
     exist for students like myself . . . Financial aid has become 
     more important now than ever before as we face proposed 
     [State] cuts in education.
       For me, financial aid has allowed me to achieve my goals, 
     for which I am thankful. Now, with one semester left before I 
     graduate, I work with high school students so that they might 
     be able to have chances that were afforded to me through the 
     help of financial aid.

  He is now telling other young people how they might secure a college 
education.
  The parent of Michael Garibaldi, Ronelle Garibaldi, talked about what 
this meant to her family, how she and her husband sat around the table 
and tried to work out the finances so that their son could continue in 
school. She said,

       We hold our breath until the envelope comes with Michael's 
     award package and don't start breathing again until we've sat 
     down with paper and pencil to once again determine if he can 
     return in the fall.
       I am often told I have a passion for financial aid. While 
     that is true, it goes much deeper than that. Actually, I am a 
     mother with a passion for opportunity for a higher education 
     for my children, as well as all children.

  That is what is at risk with the proposals by the Republicans to 
slash student loans so they can give tax breaks to people earning over 
$100,000 who do not necessarily need it and certainly give no 
indication that they want it when they understand this is the kind of 
penalty that is paid by America's young people and families.

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