Letter to President Donald Trump - Expand Pell Grant to Make College More Affordable

Letter

Ensuring that more Americans are able to earn college degrees and other postsecondary credentials will increase our productivity, spur innovation, and lay the foundation for robust economic growth. We are writing to ask for your support for making college more affordable by expanding the Pell Grant, starting with Fiscal Year 2017.

The Pell Grant is the bedrock of our federal financial aid programs, helping roughly eight million students per year pay for college. Last year, on a bipartisan basis, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee voted to maintain the scheduled increase in the maximum grant to $5,935 and restore access to Pell Grants year-round, allowing students to accelerate their studies beyond the traditional two semesters per year. As the new Congress and Administration work together to complete the Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations process, we ask for your support for strengthening mandatory and discretionary funding for the maximum Pell Grant, restoring access for year-round studies, and protecting Pell surplus funds.

We must do everything that we can to ensure that this generation of Americans has the educational opportunities necessary to achieve the American Dream. As we move beyond Fiscal Year 2017 funding decisions, we look forward to working with you to further strengthen the Pell Grant and make college more affordable for American families.