Letter to Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, and Hon. Steny Hoyer, House Majority Leader - Rep. Takano leads 22 Members in Sending a Letter to Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer in Support of America's College Promise in the Reconciliation Package

Letter

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer,

Thank you for your steadfast commitment and leadership in advancing President Biden's Build
Back Better agenda through the process of budget reconciliation. As members of the California
delegation, we are expressing our strong support for the President's America's College Promise
(ACP) proposals to remain in the reconciliation package. We strongly oppose any efforts to
remove related language, make cuts to the program, or otherwise scale back any of these efforts.

The ACP plan is a historic one that would safeguard America's future by boosting the middle
class. As Congress debates on the best path forward, it is imperative any budget reconciliation
package include universal tuition-free community college and other vital college access and
success efforts. Then presidential-candidate Joseph Biden campaigned on the promise of free
community college, which would represent the largest and most significant expansion of college
access since the Higher Education Act of 1965, and we ask you to fulfill that promise as
reconciliation moves forward.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, community colleges were devastated by significant drops in
enrollment and cuts to state funding. As community colleges struggled to stay afloat, students
were afflicted with housing and hunger insecurity. Unfortunately, students of color were
impacted the most. In order to reengage students who left college during the pandemic, it is
essential the ACP remain in the reconciliation package to transform postsecondary education in
the United States.

Postsecondary education is the key to success and community colleges have long remained the
backbone of America's higher education system. Students from all backgrounds attend
community colleges to advance their education and attain middle class status. One in four
community college students in the country attends a community college in the state of California.
Congress must capitalize on this historic opportunity to make a transformational investment to
increase college affordability. The ACP also makes significant investments in underresourced
institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and
Universities, and Minority-Serving Institutions, and invests in efforts to improve equity and
success across the higher education system.

Increasing support for community colleges will result in increased degree attainment and
improved employment outcomes. Students have a strong desire to attend college, but rising
tuitions prices deter potential students from enrollment. We must make good on our promise that
we will do everything in our power to make college more accessible and affordable for those
who need it most. Free community college will benefit students and allow businesses to grow
with the help of an educated workforce.

We urge you to retain the ACP proposal in the budget reconciliation package. These programs
enjoy overwhelming support from the public and should not be removed during negotiations.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Members of Congress

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