    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 39 (Monday, October 1, 2007)]
    [Pages 1255-1258]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks on Signing the College Cost Reduction and Access Act

    September 27, 2007

        Thank you all. Please be seated--unless you don't have a chair.
    [Laughter] I welcome you to the White House. I have the honor of signing
    a bill that will help millions of low-income Americans earn a college
    degree. I'm really looking forward to signing this bill. I love the fact
    that this country is dedicated to helping people who want to realize a
    dream.
        The College Cost Reduction and Access Act expands one of America's
    most important and successful education initiatives, the Federal Pell
    Grant Program. For the last 6 years, I've worked to make sure that we
    expand Pell

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    grants. I know the Members of Congress feel the same way. Pell grants
    give young people a chance to pursue their dreams. They give our fellow
    citizens the chance to build a better future.
        The bill also takes important steps to put higher education within
    reach for more of the men and women who wear our Nation's uniform. I
    want to thank the Congress for answering this call. I appreciate your
    hard work on this piece of legislation, and I'm looking forward to
    signing the bill.
        I want to thank the Secretary of Education for her hard work.
    Margaret Spellings is dedicated to making sure every child can learn and
    every child can realize dreams. I want to thank you for establishing the
    bipartisan Commission for the Future of Higher Education. The Commission
    engages students and families and policymakers and business leaders in
    the academic community on ways to improve higher education and to make
    it more affordable and accessible. I appreciate you taking that on,
    Margaret.
        I want to thank Congressman George Miller from California who has
    joined us. He happens to be the chairman of the House Education and
    Labor Committee. When George puts his mind to getting something done, he
    can get it done. I'm about to call to--get him to--call him to get this
    No Child Left Behind Act reauthorized. [Laughter] But I don't want to
    mix messages early in the speech. [Laughter]
        I thank Congressman Ric Keller from Florida and Congressman John
    Spratt, who is the chairman of the House Budget Committee. I'm honored
    you all joined us. Members of the Senate need to be thanked as well:
    Senator Ted Kennedy, Mike Enzi, Orrin Hatch, and Lamar Alexander. They
    were going to be here, but they got votes on the Senate floor, so
    they're here in spirit.
        I want to thank the students who have joined us today. I appreciate
    you all being here. These are Pell grant recipients. We believe it's
    important to put a face behind what it means to get a Pell grant. In
    other words, every one of these folks up here is benefiting from the
    Pell grant, so he or she can realize their dreams. That's what America
    is all about, isn't it?
        The other things is, this is a practical approach to dealing with
    the fact that we're--live in an age in which technology is transforming
    the way we live and work. And in order for our citizens to be able to
    seize the opportunities of a new era, they're going to have to have
    skills that can be only learned through a post-secondary education.
    That's the realities of the world in which we live. According to 1
    study, 80 percent of the fastest-growing jobs in America require some
    sort of education after high school. Times are changing. When we were--
    when the baby boomers like me were younger--it's a different era. We're
    living in a global economy. And we've got to stay competitive as we head
    into the 21st century, and the best way to stay competitive is to make
    sure people have access to good education.
        And one of the best ways to make higher education affordable is
    through Pell grants. Pell grants make it possible for people from all
    walks of life to afford a college education. Pell grants send an
    important message to students in need: If you work hard and you stay in
    school and you make the right choices, the Federal Government is going
    to stand with you. That's what a Pell grant says.
        With us today are a number of young Americans whose lives have been
    transformed--I'm going to mention two. Robert Garcia--I'm mentioning him
    because he's a remarkable story, but also, he happens to be from Texas.
    [Laughter] His family struggled financially. Robert's mom sacrificed
    mightily to get him a good education. By the way, that happens all
    across our country. Parents are sacrificing mightily to make sure their
    children can realize a dream. With her support--with his mom's support,
    he became a leader in his high school band, and he graduated fifth in
    his class.
        A Pell grant made it possible for Robert to go to the University of
    Texas, where he has just begun his junior year. The lowest grade he's
    made so far in college is B. That sets him apart from the President.
    [Laughter] Robert wants to use his education to get involved in public
    policy, so he can help at-risk youth. Here's what Robert says: ``The
    Pell grant has saved my life.'' That's got to make us feel good, to hear
    that. ``The Pell grant has saved my life. They've provided me

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    with everything I need to survive: living expenses, tuition, books, and
    food. Without the Pell grant, I wouldn't be here.''
        Kalise Robinson--she grew up in Washington, DC. She was shuffled
    through the foster care system, and she was mistreated for much of her
    childhood. But she never lost her spirit. She was struggling to support
    her children, and she asked for help, and she found it from a community
    outreach group. They helped her find shelter, and she got a GED. In
    2005, with the help of a Pell grant, Kalise entered the University of
    District of Columbia. She currently has a 3.3 grade point average, and
    when she graduates, she wants to help somebody else. Kalise says, ``I
    came from a rough life. The Pell grant helped me. Wherever I go, I tell
    people there are options out there for you. If you work hard, there is
    help and money out there for you.'' We thank you both for being here.
    Thank you all for coming too.
        And so today is a reaffirmation of our commitment, our determination
    to help more Americans realize dreams by getting a good education. The
    bill I sign today increases funding for Pell grants by $11.4 billion
    over the next 5 years. It allows us to increase the maximum award from
    5,400--to $5,400 by 2012. And these are positive steps, and they're good
    steps. I wish we could make the Pell grant process last year round. I
    think that would be helpful. I want to work with the Members of Congress
    to see if we can't get that done. That recognizes the realities for Pell
    grant recipients.
        The bill also helps ease the burden on men and women in uniform who
    have taken out loans for higher education. We believe that when you're
    wearing the uniform, we need to help you; that you're making a
    sacrifice, and it's okay for the Government to help you in dealing with
    your loans when it comes to higher education. And so those on active
    duty will now have new flexibility to defer payments on their loans.
        These are important steps. This bill does, however, create new and
    duplicative programs that divert resources from the Pell grants. This
    bill makes some spending commitments that aren't paid for yet, and I
    look forward to working with the Congress to ensure Pell grant increases
    that are not fully funded in this bill are paid for with offsets in
    other areas. And we're going to continue working with Congress to make
    sure the Pell grants stay strong.
        I also do want to mention No Child Left Behind, if you don't mind,
    Mr. Chairman. [Laughter] Chairman Miller was one of the main reasons why
    this bill got off the House floor in the first place. He's one of the
    main leaders to make sure the bill got to my desk.
        And the reason I bring it up is, in order to make sure we've got
    more children ready for college, the No Child Left Behind Act needs to
    be reauthorized and strengthened. Just this week, we saw what happens
    when you have high standards and you measure, measure for results. Those
    results were reported out through the Nation's Report Card. About
    700,000 people were tested nationwide to determine whether or not
    standards are being met. Eighth graders achieved their highest scores
    ever in math, while fourth graders set records in both reading and math.
    African American and Hispanic students posted alltime highs in a number
    of categories. In other words, that achievement gap is beginning to
    close in America. It's something that we all want to see happen.
        There is nothing more important than making sure our children get a
    good education. Today we've taken an important step in that direction.
    I'm hoping we can get the No Child Left Behind Act reauthorized and
    strengthened. I appreciate the Members being here today. I thank you for
    your hard work on this. I'm honored to sign this piece of legislation,
    the College Cost Reduction and Access Act.
        Thanks for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:32 a.m. in Room 350 of the Dwight D.
    Eisenhower Executive Office Building. H.R. 2669, approved September 27,
    was assigned Public Law No. 110-84.

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