[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 5, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H4334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Mascara] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MASCARA. Mr. Speaker, I am here tonight to speak out against 
plans being considered by my Republican colleagues to dismantle college 
financial aid programs.
  A college education is the heart and soul of the American dream. It 
is the meal ticket that helps ensure our youngsters have the 
opportunity to enjoy a brighter and more economically secure tomorrow.
  The financial aid programs that Republicans want to cut back are the 
tools that have helped generations of Americans educate their children.
  If the cuts being considered are adopted, they would cost students 
and their families $20 billion over the next 5 years. It is estimated, 
that would add $4,157 over 10 years to the bill of the average student 
in my home State of Pennsylvania.
  According to a renowned higher education association study, the 
changes being sought by the Republicans would constitute the largest 
increase in college costs in history.
  We cannot and should not let this happen. It is reprehensible to 
attack the very programs that help ensure our Nation has a source of 
future leaders who can attain financial security.
  I happen to know something about college educations. I received my 
degree in 1972 and over the years educated my wife, Dolores, and our 
children.
  Because I believe so strongly in the benefits of a higher education, 
I have served for many years as a trustee at California University of 
Pennsylvania. Knowing how important it is to keep the costs of college 
in line and within reach of working families, I have repeatedly opposed 
tuition increases that have come before the board of trustees.
  I know that each time tuition and costs rise, students leave school 
because they can no longer afford to stay.
  My goal has always been to keep them in school to make sure they 
receive a college degree.
  As I indicated in a 1 minute earlier this week, thousands of students 
in my district would have no chance of achieving a brighter future 
unless they get that all important degree.
  Let's not let them down. Let's lift them up and help them lift 
themselves out of a lifetime of economic decadence and despair.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to oppose these cuts. 
We can ill afford to turn our backs on our young people. They are our 
future.


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