[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 130 (Saturday, August 5, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND 
               RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1996

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                               speech of

                             HON. VIC FAZIO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 2, 1995
       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2127) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
     Services, and Education, and related agencies, for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 1996, and for other purposes:

  Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Chairman, the reason I stand here today 
is because I believe that every American should have the right to go to 
college. We all know that earning a college degree is one of the best 
investments that an individual can make. With this appropriations bill, 
the Republicans are making the difficult task of earning that degree 
even tougher.
  In the Republican tax plan, people who make $200,000 a year will get 
a tax break. And who do you think will pay for it? You guessed it--our 
children, our neighbors' children, and their classmates through cuts to 
student aid.
  This bill cuts financial aid by $701 million. That is $701 million 
too much. Over half of those cuts come from Pell grants; $482 million, 
to be exact. The Republicans say that they are improving this program 
by raising the maximum grant level by $100. But to do this, they have 
to eliminate 250,000 students from the program.
  The cut to the Pell grant program is just one example of shortsighted 
Republican planning.


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