Jon Tester: “I thank the Senator from Rhode Island. We appreciate his leadership on the issue of Pell grants. I very much appreciate…”

“I thank the Senator from Rhode Island. We appreciate his leadership on the issue of Pell grants. I very much appreciate the opportunity to address Pell grants and what they mean to not only our young people and to the folks who are being retrained to find different lines of work with the economic slowdown but also to our economy in general overall. If we are going to go to an institution of higher learning at this point in time, it takes money. If Pell grants are reduced or potentially even taken away, as some want, it takes away that opportunity. It takes away that opportunity for upward mobility within our society, within the economy. Without education, if a person is born poor, that person is liable to stay poor. Without education, if a person wants to improve their quality of life, it becomes much more difficult. When I meet with students, both traditional and nontraditional, around the State of Montana, the first question they ask me or one of the first questions is, What is the Federal Government doing to make college affordable? Because if one is unfortunate enough to be born without economic means, these Pell grants are critically important to be able to allow people--students, young people, folks who need to be retrained--to go to college and get that training, thereby adding to our economy and enabling them to get a better job and potentially become business owners and down the line. Why is this important?…”