Authority Of The Pell Grant Program example essay topic

For many parents in the world, sending their children to college is a very important goal they shrive to achieve. That goal, amongst being important is also a very hard thing to do if you are not financially inclined. College tuition and fees have become outrageous over the last couple of decades. The Federal Government made a program to help students make it to college. This program is called the Federal Pell Grant. The Pell Grant was named after former Rhode island Senator Claiborne Pell.

The program provides up to $3,750. That amount is roughly equivalent to instate tuition fees at many public universities in the country. The program has a budget of $9 million and helps nearly 4 million students a year. The Federal Pell Grant was created to encourage low- and middle-income students to attend college.

25 Years ago this grant covered about 80% of public - college tuition. Now the grant barely covers 40% of it. Now with tuition rising, 25% of the lower-income students which should be in college do not apply any longer (New York Times: Punishing Pell Grant). Every student is given an opportunity to go to college. Even if they are devoted, honors roll students in highschool; many cannot afford the expensive fees. If our children are the future of our society, why are we decreasing the chances of them going to college and getting their degree?

Knowing the importance of college education, congress should be pushing to bring this program to a higher level. Instead the Federal Education Department is in favor of a process that could cause 85,000 students to lose their grants entirely. Also Hundreds of thousands of others will receive less federal aid. Although the Federal Education Department is trying to lower the funding, there are others that are against that, and believe that the Pell Grant should not only be stabilized, but given a higher budget. U.S. Senator Patty Murray relied on the Pell Grant herself when she attended Washington State University.

Murray said she wants Pell Grants to ensure that all students have the support that they need to attend college. Senator Murray is one of only four out of 535 members of Congress with direct committee authority over both education policy and education funding (Patty Murray: murray. senate. gov). Congress man Bernie Sanders is a cosponsor of H.R. 2505, a bill that would extend the authority of the Pell Grant Program and increase the amount of an individual Pell grant awarded to $7,000 for each academic year. Sanders said; "Making higher education an exclusive club where only the very wealthy are welcome is economically shortsighted and morally wrong. Middle class families and families with low-incomes deserve the same opportunities as their wealthy counterparts. All children deserve the chance to realize the American dream.

We should be doubling funding for Pell Grants to allow millions more middle- and low-income students the opportunity to attend college not trying to cut people off (Bernie Sanders: web ).".