Show H House cuts education programs I Charles Dervarics CPS K THE Ta HE ink had barely dried on ona a new bill to boost College assistance to middle-income middle families when lawmakers started slicing money from current current current cur cur- rent funding levels citing an unexpected budget shortfall It lilt is the grand irony said Arnold Mitchem president of the Committee for Education t.-l- t. Funding which represents more that organizations On July 23 President nt Bush signed into law the Higher Education Act which extends the life of federal higher education tion programs including student student student stu stu- dent loans and authorizes spending of billion over a ay y F year five-year period t.- t. I. The Higher Education Act i HEA sought to raise the maxiA maximum maxi maxi- A mum Pell Grant from 2400 to I next year and permit more aid to middle-income middle and time part-time students Every American deserves the chance t to get on the ladder of opportunity and climb up Bush said However the house voted July 28 to cut cue the maximum Pell Grant from 2400 to 2300 next ye year r and reduce funding for fora a wide range of politically popular higher education programs dimming hopes of the larger increases envisioned by congress Lawmakers blamed the Bush administration for the problem problem problem lem saying it failed to recognize recognize recognize nize a 14 billion budget shortfall in the Pell pr program gram until this summer I can only repeat what my colleagues have said this said this is the most difficult y year ar I can remember said Rep William Natcher KY D-KY who chairs the houses house's education Although the bill seeks to address address address ad ad- dress key problems in education health and human services we dont don't have the resources that should be invested in these areas Natcher said Mitchem said the gap between betwee the HEA bill and current budget realities was striking Both Republicans and Democrats are quite uncomfortable with what they've done he said Mitchem blamed congress for not transferring more money from defense to domestic domes domes- tic programs given n the current economic conditions Lawmakers Lawmakers Lawmakers Law Law- makers defeated such a move last spring Once congress decided to value defense spending and defense jobs over education it became difficult if not impossible impossible impossible sible to achieve any gains he said |