Even those who asked for the money acknowledge it will be difficult to cut later.
Terry Hartle, lobbyist for the American Council on Education, the leading higher education group in Washington, called it "the tail problem," for the long tail of spending stretching far beyond the short-term window of the stimulus package.
Sending the money through government programs such as Pell Grants and No Child Left Behind gets the money out faster, Hartle said, but it is also harder to cut later than if the money went directly to states through block grants.
"Don't get me wrong. I think this is a very good set of proposals for college students and families," he said. "We do know that college enrollments climb during recessions as people go to school to complete a skill or get a degree, so we're likely to see a big increase in enrollment."
Miller, the House committee chairman, said lawmakers talked several times with state governors who wanted the money in block grants. But he said Congress wants to make certain the money goes to directly schools and to kids.
"These are formulas that have been tested; they've worked," Miller said. "It directs it to schools in the most need, to the populations in the most need."
Miller hopes it helps.
"None of us have lived through these kinds of circumstances," he said. "Our parents can tell us about the Great Depression, but we haven't lived through it."
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