Political Quotes

“Today is the 50th anniversary of the Pell Grant Program. This program was authorized in 1972 to provide direct financial aid to low-income students for access to higher education and the opportunity to pursue their full potential. The effort that year was bipartisan, and the program maintains bipartisan support today, 50 years later. More than 80 million students have received the Pell grant to attend college, and currently, 7 million students, about 40 percent of undergraduates, are utilizing the Pell grant to earn a degree today. At Pennsylvania's land-grant institution, Penn State University, annually, about 18,000 students are using the Pell grant to access and afford a great degree at 20 undergraduate campuses throughout the Commonwealth, including two Penn State campuses in the counties I serve. Mr. Speaker, for individuals, this program is critically important to access and affordability, but it also encourages degree completion, on- time graduation, and lower levels of student debt. For the Nation, this program is an essential investment to maintaining and strengthening our Nation's skilled workforce and enhancing global economic competitiveness. ____________________”