Arlen Specter: “I agree with 50 percent of what the distinguished Senator from Arizona has said; that is, the part about the increasing…”

“I agree with 50 percent of what the distinguished Senator from Arizona has said; that is, the part about the increasing Pell grants. I think he is exactly right about that. I wish we had more money to increase the Pell grants. What we have done is to increase the Pell grants by $1 billion. It has moved from fiscal year 1997 where it was at $5.919 billion to $6.910 billion which is a very, very substantial increase--in the 16- to 17-percent range. Senator Harkin and I, who have looked over these figures, take second place to no one on our concern for education and that created in the budget we have here, and what we have done over the years--most notably last April when we added $2.6 billion over some very considerable objection and instead having those funds go largely to education. As I said yesterday, on a very personal level, my concern about education goes to the roots of my own family. Both of my parents were immigrants. And my brother, my two sisters, and I have been able to share in the American dream because of our educational opportunities. We have not only added to the Pell grants the $1 billion here but have also increased the funding on guaranteed student loans so that every young man and woman--and this goes for the people who are not quite so young--would have an opportunity for educational advancement in this country. So that I agree totally with what my distinguished colleague from Arizona has had to say about the value of the Pell grants.”