Sanders Fights against Bush Administration Attempts to Eliminate Critical Higher Education Programs

Sanders Fights against Bush Administration Attempts to Eliminate Critical Higher Education Programs

Burlington, VT- Congressman Bernie Sanders today at a morning press conference pledged to fight the Bush Administration's plan to eliminate critical education programs that help thousands of Vermont students attend college. President Bush's recently-proposed budget would completely eliminate the highly successful GEAR-UP, TRiO Upward Bound and TRiO Talent Search programs, which provide low-income high school and college students with the support they need to be successful in college. This proposed cut would jeopardize the college dreams of over 6,800 low-income students in Vermont, and would amount to a cut of over $5.6 million out of the $8.3 million Vermont receives for all TRiO and related programs. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the 2007 Budget Resolution, which includes the GEAR-UP and TRIO cuts, this week.

Sanders said, "At a time when the President continues to give hundreds of billions of dollars in tax break to the wealthiest people in our country, it is an absolute outrage that he would cut these critical programs. That is why I have already joined over 60 of my colleagues in calling on the Appropriations Committee to not only reject the President's proposed cuts, but to increase federal TRiO funding by $100 million and GEAR-UP funding by $19 million in FY 2007. I will be fighting very hard in Congress to make sure that we continue to fund these vital programs and support young Americans trying to make a better life for themselves and their families."

The Talent Search, Upward Bound and GEAR-UP programs are dedicated to ensuring that first-generation college students - those from families where neither parent attended college - have equal educational opportunity and get the support they need to stay in high school, and enter and graduate from college. The Bush budget would completely eliminate the $303 million GEAR-UP, $311 million TRIO Upward Bound, and $145 million TRIO Talent Search programs - a total cut of $759 million nationally. These are programs that ensure excellent students from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in their efforts to realize the American dream of a better life than their parents. More than 1 million of these students across America will lose the support they need to make it to and through college if the President's proposed cuts go through.

Sanders said, "Amazingly, the attacks on the TRiO and GEAR-UP programs are not the only attacks on education in President Bush's budget proposal. Overall, his budget would cut the Department of Education's budget by $2.2 billion. He also shortchanges his own No Child Left Behind Act by $15.4 billion and, once again, this year's budget severely underfunds the Pell Grant award, the most important grant program in the nation for helping students of modest means afford a higher education."

http://bernie.house.gov/documents/document.asp?issueNum=4841