Action Alert: FY08 Education Funding
Action Alert: FY08 Education Funding
President Bush, just as he threatened, vetoed the FY08 education appropriations bill on November 13, citing excessive spending. The House of Representatives approved the Labor-HHS-Education funding bill (HR 3034) late last week (by a vote of 274 to 141), following the Senate’s lead (by a vote of 56 to 37). The bill is a 4.8% increase over FY07 levels, and is less than $10 billion more than the President’s request. The Statement of Administration Policy < http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/sap/110-1/hr3043sap-2-h.pdf
The bill provides much-needed, yet modest increases over FY07 levels for several of NACAC’s priority programs, including the maximum Pell award at $4,435 (a $125 increase), $858 million for TRIO (a $30 million increase) and $318 million for GEAR UP (a $15 million increase). The bill also provides a $34 million increase for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP), bringing FY08 funding to $50 million. This funding level will make ESSCP grant funds available to high schools for the first time, allowing needy high schools to apply for federal funds to hire school counselors. The President’s budget request eliminated ESSCP and provided no increases for GEAR UP, TRIO, or the Pell Grant maximum award.
This bill has enjoyed strong bipartisan support throughout the appropriations process, beginning at the subcommittee level all the way through floor passage in each chamber. Write your members of Congress < http://capwiz.com/nacac> and urge them to continue to support HR 3043, the FY08 Labor/HHS/Education appropriations bill, when it returns to the House and Senate for veto override votes.
Susan Cohen, The Cooper Union
Heath Einstein, Solomon Schechter School of Westchester
Government Relations Co-Chairs
