Students are seeing spikes in tuition and fees as state and federal governments are facing major budget shortfalls. Financial aid will most likely be sent to the state and federal chopping block.
The National Association for Student Financial Aide Administrators launched an online campaign to urge students and financial aide administrators to contact lawmakers before Labor Day. Since many senators and representatives are home for the Labor Day weekend, NASFAA says now is the time to connect with local representatives.
“Lawmakers are looking for ways to cut down on the national debt,” said Haley Chitty, NASFAA Director of Communications. “Federal student aid is targeted as one of the areas for spending cuts.”
On August 2, Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011. The bipartisan legislation raised the debt ceiling and gave lawmakers more time to figure out budget cuts without defaulting on the national debt. Additional mandatory funding for the Pell Grant program was included for 2012 and 2013 fiscal years.
Graduate and professional students lost access to subsidized loans. Direct Loan repayment incentives were also eliminated. But Pell Grants still face a $1.3 billion shortfall for 2012-2013 and lawmakers anticipate having to make a lot of cuts in the coming months.
For a while, it looked like Pell Grants may take the brunt of the education spending cuts, because the Pell Grant program is considered one of the larger discretionary domestic programs, Chitty said.
“In the large scheme, it’s only a small sliver of the budget,” Chitty said. “But it isn’t the only program being targeted. Anytime there is an economic downturn, we see an increase of people returning to school which increases the cost of programs like Pell.”
Still, the Congressional Super Committee is aiming to find an additional $1.5 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years. The money could very well come from student financial aid. There will be automatic across-the-board cuts should the Super Committee fail to come up with the cuts. Either situation could have a negative impact for students if they don’t voice their concerns to lawmakers, Chitty said.
NASFAA’s Save Student Aid Facebook campaign is currently 13,441 strong and growing. Chitty hopes more students will join and voice the importance of strong student financial aid.
“Don’t lay down and let this happen,” Chitty said. “Stand up and fight for the money. We are investing in the future of us, in our ability to compete. Future jobs and the innovation driving our country is directly related to how educated our workforce is. Cutting Pell Grants is only a good short-term solution.”
For more information, visit the Save Student Aid Facebook page at www.facebook.com/savestudentaid.
Lawmakers nearby:
C.W. Bill Young, U.S. Representative for Florida’s 10th District
Washington Office
2407 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-5961
Seminole Office
9210 113th Street
Seminole, FL 33772
(727) 394-6950
