[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1526]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              STUDENT AID

  (Mr. DOGGETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. DOGGETT. I have just returned from a joyful celebration at the 
White House, not one about red or blue States, but about burnt orange, 
branded into the pages of sports history.
  As much as all of us can come together to celebrate the dramatic UT 
National Championship, I think that supporting Longhorns and supporting 
university students means much more. It means providing a Federal 
financial commitment to our students to let them achieve their 
individual greatness.
  When qualified students cannot afford to attend a university, all of 
us lose. This President's budget, as far as I can tell, is one big 
fumble. Because once again, added on top of the $12 billion that 
Republicans have just cut in Federal student financial assistance, are 
additional cuts to Perkins loans and to GEAR UP for those who are 
trying to get into college.
  For the students that I represent at the University of Texas-Pan 
American, who already face big financial challenges, this burden is 
going to be a great one. One in four of the students have dependent 
children and more than 75 percent are first-generation students. I hope 
that we can make substantial changes and show a real commitment to 
Longhorns and students everywhere.

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