Two weeks after control of Congress changed hands, families facing the high costs of putting their children through college got some relief. By a vote of 356-71, the House passed a bill that would cut the interest rate in half on federally subsidized student loans over five years.     

AFT President Edward McElroy hailed the passage of the College Student Relief Act.

“Instead of giving tax breaks to the rich, Congress is rightly supporting the needs of working families,” McElroy said. “That (the bill) will open countless educational opportunities for those who need our support most, and it will promote a healthier future for our country.”

U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, sponsored the bill.

“With this vote, the House took the first step toward guaranteeing that every student who is qualified to go to college will be able to afford to go,” Miller said.

The Bush administration issued a statement opposing the bill, saying it does nothing to improve access to higher education, since it only helps ease the burden of repayment for graduates.   

Working families got more good news in late January when the House approved a joint funding resolution that includes an additional $260 million for the Pell Grant program, a college award program for low-income students. The new spending would raise the maximum Pell Grant award from $4,050 to $4,310. That’s closer to AFT’s goal of raising the maximum award to $5,100.

In early February, President Bush’s proposed 2008 budget called for boosting the maximum Pell Grant to $5,400 during the next five years. The top award would go up by $550, to $4,600, next year.              

Whichever increase becomes law, it will represent the first boost in the maximum Pell Grant since 2002.

— Donald Feldstein