A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to congressional leadership, requesting increased Pell Grant funding in the Build Back Better Act.
Officials said 80 legislators sent the letter to Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), detailing for 49 years the Pell Grant Program has provided financial support to help low-income students pay for higher education.
However, the legislators acknowledged that Pell Grant values have eroded and failed to keep up with inflation associated with higher education pursuits over the years.
“Congress must make a substantial investment in the Build Back Better Act to help the nearly seven million Pell Grant recipients across the country: students who are low-income, as well as homeless and former foster youth for whom the pandemic has exacerbated existing basic needs insecurities,” the legislators wrote. “The reconciliation package must also extend the Pell Grant program to the over 450,000 DACA recipients who are currently attending institutions of higher education across the country. Enabling these promising students to take advantage of federal student aid resources ensures they can complete their studies and bring new skills and expertise to their burgeoning careers.”
The lawmakers maintain Congress has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make an immediate and meaningful investment in the Pell Grant Program.
“The current Pell Grant maximum award does not go far enough in supporting low-income students’ academic success and their basic needs,” the group concluded. “Many of these students are taking on significant and unsustainable levels of student debt and working multiple jobs to make ends meet while pursuing their higher education. We urge you to make this critically important investment with budget reconciliation, fulfilling the Pell Grant expansion called for in the President’s Build Back Better Agenda.”