House GOP Budget Targets the Pell Grant Program

Paul_RyanThe Republican leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled its budget for the 2015 fiscal year this week. The goal of the budget plan is to reduce the federal deficit to zero by the year 2024 by cutting spending by $5 trillion over the next decade. Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the chair of the House Budget Committee and former vice presidential candidate, is the chief architect of the plan.

The Pell Grant program, which provides funding for college for millions of low-income students, is one target of the budget-cutting proposal.The budget proposal states that recent changes “made Pell Grants more generous that the federal budget could afford.”

Under the GOP plan, the maximum Pell Grant award would be frozen for the next decade at $5,730. The GOP plan also proposes that Congress approve funding for the program each year, rather than the current system where much of the funding for the program is automatic. Also, the House leadership wants to add an income ceiling so that no student whose family has income above an unspecified level could receive a Pell Grant. And it would eliminate Pell grant eligibility for some part-time college students.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs