Lynn C. Woolsey: “the bill before us is mistitled the College Access and Opportunity Act. It ought to be called the Reducing College…”

“the bill before us is mistitled the College Access and Opportunity Act. It ought to be called the Reducing College Access and Missed Opportunity Act. Last month, the Republican Congress passed and the President signed a $12 billion cut in student aid, the largest student aid cut in history. This raid on student aid made college more expensive for low- and middle-income students at the very time a college education is more critical than ever for young men and young women throughout our entire country. Today, Congress is finishing the raid on student aid. This bill is a missed opportunity to make college more affordable. Democrats have offered an alternative that would lower interest rates on student loans, increase Pell Grants, help colleges hit by the gulf coast hurricanes to rebuild and recover, and boost college participation rates for minority students. If history is any guide, however, the Republican House will reject this alternative, because like President Bush they value tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans over assisting low- and middle-income Americans in their quest for a college education. Mr. Chairman, those are not the values of the American people, and I encourage my colleagues to reject the Republican raid on student aid and to support the Democratic alternative because we have to keep in mind that these students are the very future of the United States of America.”