Tell Congress: Don't Raid Pell Grant Funding
Senators
Right now, some members of Congress are planning to take funding from the Pell Grant program - a program that millions of students rely on to afford college - and use it to fill budget gaps.
Two top members of the House Education & Workforce Committee just released a letter urging Congress not to raid funding for Pell Grants, but we need your voice, too.
Rather than draining the most important federal investment in higher education of its resources , we should be investing in and strengthening Pell Grants to help more students complete college without burdensome debt. That's why we're asking Congress to keep Pell funding for Pell.
Nearly eight million low- and moderate-income Americans currently depend on Pell Grants to attend college. But over the past decade, Congress has reduced grant sizes for some students and eliminated eligibility entirely for others. The maximum Pell Grant now covers less than 30% of the cost of attending a four-year public college.
Instead of raiding the program, here's a few ways Congress could actually stand up for students:
- Increasing the maximum Pell Grant award
- Permanently adjusting the maximum Pell Grant for inflation each year
- Restoring Pell Grant eligibility for students taking courses year-round
- Restoring Pell Grants for students eligible for school closure or fraud federal loan discharges
- Resetting Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals who will return to the community
The Senate is expected to release its plan to fund Pell Grants in early June. We need to act now, before a raid of Pell Grant funds becomes an accepted part of budget negotiations.
Below, see the full text of the letter to your Senators.
Petition by
Sponsored by
To:
Senators
From:
[Your Name]
I’m writing to urge you to oppose any effort to raid Pell Grant funds during the 2017 appropriations process. Pell Grant funds should be used for Pell Grants only. We should invest in and strengthen Pell Grants, not raiding it to fund other programs.
Prior budget agreements have reduced Pell Grants by more than $50 billion, and even eliminated eligibility entirely for some students. Pell Grant recipients are already twice as likely to borrow, and graduate with nearly $5,000 more debt than higher-income students, further compounding our nation’s growing student debt. The current maximum grant covers less than 30 percent of the cost of attending a four-year public college—the lowest share in more than 40 years. Furthermore, annual inflation adjustments that have helped keep the purchasing power of Pell Grants from eroding even further are set to expire after fiscal year 2017.
There are many important ways Congress can strengthen Pell Grants, including:
● Increase the maximum Pell Grant award
● Permanently adjust the maximum Pell Grant for inflation each year
● Restore Pell Grant eligibility for students taking courses year-round.
● Reset Pell Grant eligibility for students eligible for federal loans discharges due to school closure or fraud
● Restore Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals who will return to the community
Raiding Pell Grant funds not only misses these opportunities to strengthen the program, it increases the likelihood of future program cuts that would cut off access to higher education and exacerbate already record-high levels of student debt for the millions of low-income college students who rely on Pell Grants to enroll in and complete college.
I appreciate your attention to this important issue, and hope you will ensure that Pell Grant funds are used only for Pell Grants.