Senator Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, joined House Majority Whip James Clyburn and Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra at a press conference this morning to address the need to include the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) as part of the reconciliation bill. The Congressmen said that they believed attaching the bill to health care legislation in reconciliation would garner more votes for health care passage. The House passed SAFRA this fall, while the Senate is being held up by health care.
This press conference comes in the wake of new analysis last week by the Congressional Budget Office showing that SAFRA would save $67-billion over 10 years by ending the bank-based system of distributing student loans. This projection is $20 billion less than President Obama’s estimates. As a result, Congressional Democrats have reportedly begun private discussions about cutting down the $87-billion SAFRA bill.
The President’s American Graduation Initiative became part of the House passed SAFRA bill and would fund grants for community colleges and area CTE schools to expand their academic and training programs, enhance linkages, and create innovative programs. Funding would also be available for facilities modernization.
The Congressmen declined to say what would be cut from the bill, with Rep. Miller telling the The Chronicle of Higher Education: “That’s a matter of discussion between Senator Harkin and myself and the leadership. I’m not going to answer the question because I’ve got to sit down with them.”
Tags: community colleges, Congress, federal legislation, postsecondary, Public Policy