Thursday, October 7, 2004
Dear
Friend,
As you know,
the cost of higher education continues to rise and families find it
increasingly difficult to meet the burden. There is evidence
that too many students are postponing or foregoing a higher
education because of its cost.
An increase in
Pell Grant awards would be the single most important action Congress
could take to make college more affordable and accessible. I
have co-sponsored legislation to seriously increase the maximum Pell
Grant. Unfortunately, and despite the President's election
promise in 2000 to raise the Grants to $5100, the Administration and
the Republican Majority in Congress have failed to support the
effort to expand the program.
Consequently,
that failure has made college less affordable for students,
including thousands in Massachusetts and our Sixth Congressional
District. I continue to work for college affordability and
would like to call to your attention (through the attached copy of
my news release on this issue) a
report
highlighting the need for action.
Please feel
free to forward this information to college-age students, their
families, or other interested parties.
Sincerely,
John F. Tierney
Member
of Congress
Tierney: New Report Shows
Failure to Increase Pell Grants Harms Students from Massachusetts’
Sixth Congressional District
Washington, DC -- The failure of the Bush Administration and
the GOP Majority in Congress to expand the popular Pell Grant program
has made college less affordable for thousands in Massachusetts,
including the Sixth Congressional District, said a
report, released
today by U.S. Congressman John F. Tierney (D-Salem). The Minority
staff of the House Government Reform Committee, of which Congressman
Tierney is a member, completed the report. Tierney, who is also the
only New England Member on the House Education and Workforce
Committee, is a tireless advocate for making college more affordable
and has introduced the House Democrats’ alternative, called the
College Affordability and Accountability Act (H.R. 3519), to the
proposed Republican higher education bill.
The report shows that in 2004, Pell Grants were awarded to 6,700
students in the Sixth Congressional District, including 1,100 students
who received the maximum grant of $4,050. Statewide, approximately
78,500 students received Pell Grants, with 14,900 of these students
receiving the maximum award. The report says, "Despite the President’s
2000 campaign promise to raise the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,100
per year, the President’s latest budget request would freeze the
maximum Pell Grant award to $4,050 for the third straight year. The
result has been a sharp reduction in the value of the Pell Grants for
the neediest college students."
Tierney said, "When Pell Grants were first instituted they were
worth approximately 84 percent of a higher education; today, they are
worth about half that amount. The failure to increase the amount of
Pell Grants has affected all 6,700 awardees in the Sixth Congressional
District, however, the 1,100 who receive the maximum award have
experienced significant financial hardship due to the fact that their
families’ income is insufficient to contribute to the cost of
attending college."
The report points out that, while over the past four years the cost
of attending a public university has increased by 36 percent, the
maximum Pell Grant has increased by only 8 percent. Congressman
Tierney is a co-sponsor of legislation that would double the maximum
Pell Grant by the year 2010. "It is clear that while Congress must
take action to increase the maximum Pell Grant award, we also must
pass a larger reauthorization of the Higher Education Act that would
make college more accessible and affordable. Unfortunately, that
reauthorization will not take place this year. This week, Congress
will pass a temporary, one-year extension of the Higher Education Act,
missing an opportunity to help students for yet another year," said
Tierney.
Congressman Tierney is the author of legislation, the College
Affordability and Accessibility Act (H.R. 3519), which would give
incentives to colleges and universities who keep their tuition low,
while making states live up to their end of the bargain when it comes
to funding for public higher education. Congressman Tierney’s
legislation is the key Democratic alternative in this year’s debate
over higher education funding. "Our legislation was crafted after
extensive talks with students, college administrators, and local
advocacy groups. Funding colleges should be a partnership between the
federal government and state government, with families contributing
what they can," said Tierney.
"During recent meetings with college students, they told me that in
addition to making college more affordable and increasing the maximum
Pell Grant award, Congress must do something about allowing students
to continue to consolidate their loans under a fixed interest rate
instead of a variable interest rate, which would be subject to the
volatility of the stock market. A fixed interest rate would allow
students to save thousands of dollars over the life of their student
loans," said Tierney.
"In order to help better educate our students and remain
competitive in the world economy, Congress has an obligation to help
more students achieve the goal of obtaining a college education by
reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, allowing students to
consolidate their loans under a fixed interest rate and increasing the
maximum Pell Grant award. We owe it to our students and their families
who are currently struggling to pay for the soaring cost of a higher
education," concluded Tierney.
