Ehrlich on Washington column, June 2, 2002

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Rood, Sod* 304 315 Cannon Ночи Office Building LulfiorvilW, Maryland 2 1 093 Wathingfon, D.C 205 1 5 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of June 2, 2002 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. GOP is Helping to Make College Affordable One of my most important priorities in Congress is helping Maryland’s students gain a quality education that pays dividends in the future. In addition to supporting federal initiatives that improve education from kindergarten through high school, I have consistently championed those initiatives that help millions of low-income students in America earn a higher education. One such initiative is the Federal Pell Grant program. Pell Grants were first introduced under the Higher Education Act of 1965 in an effort to make the dream of a college education a reality for low-income students. Nearly four decades later, Pell Grants help finance a college education for 4.4 million students and help put them on sound educational footing for the future. This past winter, President Bush proposed a $10.9 billion investment in Pell Grants for 2003, the most significant investment in Pell Grants by any president in American history. This proposal is further proof that, despite leading the war on terror, President Bush has never lost sight of his promise to provide every child in America a rewarding education. Unfortunately, rising college tuition costs are making it difficult for low-income students to pay for a college education. In addition, the Pell Grant program itself was facing a $1 billion shortfall, thereby jeopardizing the educational opportunities available to millions of students. Accordingly, President Bush and the Republican-led House of Representatives worked together to stem the problem. As far back as December, President Bush and Republicans identified the budgetary shortfall in the Pell Grant program and sought out “pork-barrel” projects from which wasted funds could be salvaged and redirected to the Pell Grant program. As you may know, pork barrel dollars fund useless projects like federal "insect rearing" programs, Red Snapper research, and the study of sunflower seeds. Remarkably, these wasteful federal programs received $12 million in funding last year alone as a result of Washington’s irresponsible spending habits.