[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 4, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E14]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ENSURING COLLEGE ACCESS FOR ALL AMERICANS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 4, 2005

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, since 1973, the Pell Grant program has been 
the backbone of making higher education affordable in the United 
States, with more than five million students receiving nearly 13 
billion dollars in aid this year alone. Unfortunately, President Bush 
recently made a change to student aid policy that will cut more than 
$300 million in federal scholarships to low- and moderate-income 
college students for the 2005-06 school year. As a result, 1.3 million 
students will have their Pell Grant scholarships either reduced or 
eliminated.
  Current law allows students and their families to deduct state and 
local taxes when calculating how much income they have available to pay 
for the cost of higher education. This recent Bush update changes the 
way families calculate these deductions, and as a result, 1.3 million 
students will have their Pell scholarships reduced or eliminated. In 
essence, the change would make it appear that families have more money 
available to pay for tuition, decreasing the amount of Federal student 
aid, as well as other need-based aid for which families are eligible.
  This is why I am introducing legislation along with Representative 
Tim Bishop to reverse the $300 million Pell scholarship cut. 
Specifically, our bill would prevent any student from having his or her 
federal Pell Grant eligibility amount reduced as a result of the recent 
changes to student aid. This would enable the Department of Education 
to fine tune the eligibility calculation without hurting students and 
families who rely on these scholarships to pay for college.
  Today, education is more important than ever to solving the most 
pressing problems of our communities and the country. We must do 
everything possible to help American students attend college.

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