[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 54 (Tuesday, April 20, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E698-E699]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF A HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE CONGRESS AND 
   THE PRESIDENT TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR THE PELL GRANT AND EXISTING 
 CAMPUS-BASED AID PROGRAMS PRIOR TO FUNDING ANY NEW EDUCATION PROGRAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 20, 1999

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a House Concurrent 
Resolution calling on the Congress and the President to significantly 
increase funding for the Pell Grant and Campus-Based Aid programs.
  Every year since we gained the majority, Republicans have worked to 
increase the maximum Pell Grant, and we've worked hard to strengthen 
higher education programs with a proven track record of success. We 
have also enacted tax incentives which help working families save for 
the education of their children, and ease student loan repayment for 
those who must borrow.
  Most importantly, just over 6 months ago, we enacted the Higher 
Education Amendments of 1998. This vitally important legislation saved 
the student loan program and cut borrower interest rates; dramatically 
increased the maximum authorized Pell Grant; and strengthened the 
Campus-Based Aid programs which provide needy students with grants, 
work study opportunities, and low-interest loans. This legislation went 
a long way to achieving our goals of:
  Making college more affordable;
  Simplifying the student aid system; and
  Ensuring academic quality.
  In short, we have truly made higher education a priority, and we will 
continue to do so.
  However, I was shocked when the administration sent us a budget 
proposal along with the proclamation that the doors to college were now 
open to all Americans. I was surprised to learn that the administration 
actually believes that it has opened the doors to college for all. I 
was disappointed with the details of that budget, which cut overall 
funding for Pell Grants by 3 percent, allowed for only modest growth in 
the Campus-Based programs, and proposed student loan cuts which 
Congress had rejected on a bipartisan basis only months before. Instead 
of supporting these core programs which are proven to work, the 
administration pursued funding for four new ``designer'' programs, 
which have not, and probably will never, help one student graduate. In 
talking to students and educators alike, I know they share my 
disappointment.
  Let's look at the priorities we are setting forth today in this 
resolution. First, it calls for a $400 increase to the maximum Pell 
Grant award. The Pell Grant program is the largest and most important 
Federal need-based higher education grant program. It is a voucher for

[[Page E699]]

higher education, which students can take to an institution of their 
choosing and use to pursue the type of education that will most benefit 
them. Every dollar that a student receives from the Pell program is a 
dollar that won't have to be borrowed. With average student 
indebtedness now at $9,700, this is more important than ever before.
  The Pell Grant program was created in 1972, and currently serves 3.8 
million students. In the late 1970's, Pell Grants covered 75 percent of 
the cost of attending a 4-year public college or university. Today, it 
covers only 36 percent of that cost. Restoring some of this lost buying 
power is probably the single most important thing we can do to reassure 
students from low-income families that college is possible. Funding 
Pell Grants at the level set forth in the resolution would have the 
added benefit of making an additional 215,000 students eligible, 
including 21,000 in my home State of California.
  Second, this resolution makes funding for the Campus-Based Aid 
programs a priority. These programs provide institutions with Federal 
support for grant, loan, and work study programs. They are need based. 
However, they do provide financial aid professionals with more 
flexibility to tailor the aid package to the student's needs. Most 
importantly, these programs require schools that participate to provide 
matching funds, which allows us to leverage our investment with private 
dollars.
  Finally, this resolution sets priorities. It says to the President 
and to the American people that we are serious about funding the 
financial aid programs we know work, and that we shouldn't create new 
programs until we meet these commitments.
  Mr. Speaker, we are faced with a choice. We can blindly buy the 
``program du jour'' on the President's education menu, cooked up by the 
bureaucrats at the Department of Education, or we can wisely fund the 
``meat and potato'' scholarship programs that have put America's 
students through college for more than a generation.
  I urge my colleagues to show their support for America's students, 
and cosponsor this resolution.

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