James Hill: “the President's budget serves as a blueprint as to what his priorities will be for the upcoming year. At a time when our…”

“the President's budget serves as a blueprint as to what his priorities will be for the upcoming year. At a time when our economy is becoming increasingly competitive, it is essential that we fully fund education programs across the board. Unfortunately, education is not prioritized in the President's budget. Funding for No Child Left Behind remains about $15 billion below the level promised when the bill was first signed into law in 2001. How can we hold our schools accountable when the President refuses to provide the funds needed to improve many of these schools? The President finally makes good on a 6-year-old promise to increase the amount of money given to low-income students through the Pell Grant program, but it comes at a price. The President proposes recalling all Perkins loans and eliminating nine other higher education assistance programs. At a time when college is becoming more out of reach for many Americans, we should be looking to strengthen all college assistance programs so more high school seniors have a chance to attend. Mr. Speaker, Democrats, this one included, will once again make education a priority for our Nation's students.”