Brandon Williams: “Beginning with Thomas Jefferson and throughout the ensuing two centuries this Nation has followed a grand and productive…”

“Beginning with Thomas Jefferson and throughout the ensuing two centuries this Nation has followed a grand and productive tradition of the local, State, and Federal education partnership. Today with shame the U.S. House of Representatives sounds an unprecedented retreat on that centuries-old commitment to America's students, and this amendment describes why. Three years ago this Congress passed, and President Bush thankfully signed, the Middle Income Student Assistance Act, of which I was the sponsor. Today with shame the House of Representatives reneges on that commitment. Perkins student loans are particularly valuable to middle-income college students and their families, and with shame this House is about to vote to cut 157,000 middle-income students off of that assistance. I say to my colleague, those aren't bureaucrats, Mr. Conningham. Those are middle-income students, American citizens. Today the House changes in the Pell grant program will deny 220,000 middle-income students a Pell grant. Those aren't bureaucrats. Those are your kids. AmeriCorps accepts middle-income people, as it should, and they can earn $9,000 in college stipends. Shamefully that program was eliminated by the Republican majority last week.”