Mike Levin: “we stand here today with a historic opportunity to improve higher education in this country. The average tuition and…”

“we stand here today with a historic opportunity to improve higher education in this country. The average tuition and fees for four-year public colleges have risen over 40 percent since 2001. The average student now leaves school with $17,500 in debt. Above anything else, it is absolutely essentially that any legislation reauthorizing the Higher Education Act help make a college education more affordable, so that we can expand this great opportunity to more young people across the country. I know this issue is immensely important to many of my constituents in Michigan. Unfortunately, the misnamed ``College Access and Opportunity Act of 2005'' does absolutely nothing to reduce the costs of a college education. When Pell Grants were first enacted to help low-income families, it covered 72 percent of the average cost of a four-year public college, today it pays for only 30 percent. This bill would increase the maximum amount a Pell Grant could cover by a pathetic $200 while the President's proposed budget continues to flat fund this vital program. It is now just two months after this Republican Congress voted to cut Federal student aid by $12 billion--the largest cut in the history of the program. Most of the cuts in mandatory spending in that bill were generated by cutting back on excessive lender fees on student loans.…”