Senator Reverend Warnock, lawmakers: “The Pell Grant is the cornerstone of federal student aid, and currently helps over 6 million students pursue higher education in the United States”
ICYMI: Inside Higher Ed – Senate Democrats Seek More Money for Pell Grants
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) led 41 of their colleagues in urging for robust investment in the Pell Grant program for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025). The letter was sent to Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS), and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee. In the letter, the senators request a discretionary increase to the award as Congress works towards doubling the Pell Grant for students.
“We remain concerned that the value of the Pell Grant has steadily declined since it was first created – now covering the lowest share of the cost of attendance in its 50-year history,” wrote the senators. “Increasing the maximum award would provide a substantial investment toward reversing this decades-long decline.”
Specifically, the letter requests that the discretionary allocation for the Pell Grant effectively:
- Meets the needs of students;
- Protects all Pell Grant program reserves; and
- Expands eligibility to students who have been historically excluded or previously cut out from being eligible for the Pell Grant.
“The need for Congress to provide robust investment in the Pell Grant program is clear. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, students are still struggling just to meet their basic needs as they pursue higher education,” continued the senators. “It is critically important that the Subcommittee continues to protect all Pell Grant reserves from any reallocation, raid, or rescission that would hasten any shortfalls in the program.”
“The Pell Grant is the cornerstone of federal student aid, and currently helps over 6 million students pursue higher education in the United States,” the senators concluded. “With a continued investment in the Pell Grant, we can better extend educational opportunity to more students from low- and moderate- income families, who will be critical to meeting the demand for a highly educated-workforce.”
Senator Warnock, who relied on Pell Grants and low-interest student loans to become the first in his family to graduate with a four-year college degree, has championed college affordability since coming to Congress. The Senator has strengthened funding for Pell Grants in multiple annual government funding bills and worked to boost student scholarship availability through the Chips and Science Act.
In addition to Senators Warnock and Hirono the letter is signed by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Angus King (I-ME), Tom Carper (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Peter Welch (D-VT), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Sherron Brown (D-OH), Jon Tester (D-MT), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Laphonza Butler (D-CA).
The letter can be found HERE and text is below:
Dear Chair Baldwin and Ranking Member Capito:
As you begin your work on Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025) appropriations, we urge the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Subcommittee to make sure the discretionary allocation for the Pell Grant effectively meets the needs of students, protects all Pell Grant program reserves, and expands eligibility to students who have been historically excluded or previously cut out from being eligible for the Pell Grant. We respectfully request you provide a discretionary increase to the award as Congress works toward doubling the Pell Grant for students.
We appreciate the LHHS Subcommittee’s work to increase the Pell Grant maximum award in recent years. But we remain concerned that the value of the Pell Grant has steadily declined since it was first created – now covering the lowest share of the cost of attendance in its 50-year history. Increasing the maximum award would provide a substantial investment toward reversing this decades-long decline.
The need for Congress to provide robust investment in the Pell Grant program is clear. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, students are still struggling just to meet their basic needs as they pursue higher education. Recently, for example, the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) reported that 29 percent of the students they surveyed were food insecure, and 14 percent were housing insecure. Especially at a time of expected shortfalls in the Pell Grant program, it is critically important that the Subcommittee continues to protect all Pell Grant reserves from any reallocation, raid, or rescission that would hasten any shortfalls in the program. Pell Grant funds should be retained in the program to increase the maximum award, reverse prior eligibility cuts, and provide new opportunities to provide higher education to historically underrepresented students.
The Pell Grant is the cornerstone of federal student aid, and currently helps over 6 million students pursue higher education in the United States. With a continued investment in the Pell Grant, we can better extend educational opportunity to more students from low- and moderate- income families, who will be critical to meeting the demand for a highly educated-workforce.
Thank you for your continued commitment to the Pell Grant. We appreciate your consideration of these requests.
Sincerely,
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