[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H6183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                          FEDERAL TRIO PROGRAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss 
something that is very, very important to me as public policy, but it 
is something that is really personal to me, and that is the Federal 
TRIO Programs.
  The TRIO programs are a set of higher education initiatives 
authorized by the Higher Education Act of 1965 that provide an 
educational opportunity to first-generation, low-income students.
  You see, in 1969, at age 18, as a high school senior, I became 
pregnant with my first daughter, Jesselynne. I was a college-bound 
student, suddenly feeling that I was derailed from my prospects and my 
future, but the outreach of the TRIO programs in Marquette University 
enabled me to get a high-quality education at Marquette University, 
else I might have slipped through the cracks.
  You see me here standing today as a Member of Congress, but even 
prior to that, I contributed greatly to my community, because of my 
educational opportunity, as someone who created affordable housing 
through our State agency, put together a financial institution, a 
credit union for low-income communities to fill the financial gaps, and 
contributed in so many other ways, including paying taxes--and by the 
way, my daughter is a special education teacher today.
  But without TRIO support, I wouldn't be here, and there are so many 
other millions of young people who are talented, but they are just poor 
and don't have the family background to enable them to get to college. 
Access to quality and affordable education can change your entire life 
because a college education is one of the greatest democratizers and 
greatest equalizers in our democratic society. And that is why it has 
been the honor of my career to be the cochair of the bipartisan TRIO 
Caucus here in Congress to pay it forward for the next generation.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to introduce a resolution, along with my 
cochair,  Mike Simpson, in recognizing November 8 as National First-
Generation Celebration Day, a day that commemorates the signing of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 by President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
  I thank the many Members who signed on to our resolution, especially 
our Senate cosponsors, Senator Warnock, a TRIO alum, and Senator 
Marshall, a first-generation college graduate, as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to 
highlight how the Build Back Better Act will help to advance the goal 
of helping more first generation and students of modest means get to 
college and be able to benefit from the programs like TRIO that can 
help to ensure that they graduate and gain the skills necessary to 
participate in our ever, ever complicated economy. And without efforts 
to make higher education affordable and reducing the debt burden on our 
students, I am afraid that many students will never have the 
opportunity to benefit from TRIO, so we need to do more to make sure 
that cost is not a barrier to quality higher education.
  And that is why I think the Build Back Better effort--and I just want 
to call out Chairman  Bobby Scott for all the work he did in increasing 
the maximum Pell grants to help low-income students get to college. It 
is clear that Pell grants haven't kept up with the rising costs of 
college and would provide $500 million over 7 years for grants to 
States and institutions of higher education and Tribal communities and 
universities to improve student outcomes, including enrollment 
retention, completion, and employment placement.
  So I just thought it was important to say that when the Build Back 
Better bill gets to the floor, we should all support it for the 
educational initiatives that are in it.
  But the story of TRIO is a remarkable one that benefits students of 
all races, creeds, colors, both genders, veterans. It ought to be 
celebrated.
  Mr. Speaker, I am urging, when it comes to the floor, that you all 
support the bipartisan resolution to celebrate National First-
Generation Day.

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