Education

Primary & Secondary Education

It is important that states and school districts have the flexibility to improve the quality and delivery of education.  In 2015, I voted to prohibit the federal government from coercing states into adopting national standards like Common Core.  This is now law (Public Law 114-95).   I will continue to support measures that restore control of elementary and secondary education to the state, local school districts, parents, and students.

Higher Education

The rising cost of college has made post-secondary education prohibitive for many individuals and families. Efforts must be made to ease the burden of student loans for students. Congress should ease the burden of student loans, make federal aid programs more flexible, and make saving for college easier for middle class families. 

Congress must ensure that students and their families have access to accurate and comprehensive information about cost of attendance and completion rates when choosing a college and taking out loans.   Congress must also ensure that there are high paying jobs available to these students once they graduate.  

I will continue to work to improve the Pell grant program, which provides aid to students with financial need.  I support efforts to allow high school students to access Pell grants for college courses and allow college students to use Pell grants to pay for summer courses, which would help students to obtain their degrees faster.  I also support barring the federal government from taxing any portion of a student’s Pell grant award.  

I will continue to support efforts to make saving for college easier for Long Island families.  Last year I voted for H.R. 529, a House-passed bill to strengthen and expand tax-exempt 529 savings plans, widely used plans that help middle class families save for college.