Reauthorizing the higher education act amid the new political reality means some programs may lose so that others might gain.

Despite robust economic growth and a balanced budget on the horizon, the debate before the U.S. Senate was a stark one: spend more on Pell Grants for needy students or cut home heating aid for the poor and elderly this winter.

Conservative Republican Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) argued for Pell Grants, calling the heating program a remnant of the 1970s oil crisis and "the liberal welfare state." Democrats, with regret, said that they had to support energy aid, so that - as Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said - people would not face "a choice between heating and eating."

Debates such as this one on September 3 reflect a new political reality for education advocates in here one that can put an unusual spin on partisan debates. Though Democrats won this debate and preserved the energy program, for some these are hollow victories that may not bode well as Congress tackles reform of the largest program for colleges and universities, the Higher Education Act (HEA).

The HEA is the major federal law that authorizes core higher education programs such as Pell Grants, college work/study, loan programs, aid to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), TRIO programs, and dozens of other activities from graduate education to regulations for campus security. Financial aid programs under HEA alone provide about $47 billion in aid and serve 8 million students. The bill officially expired on September 30, but lawmakers will hold hearings this year and submit a reauthorization bill for approval in 1998.

Every Increase Comes With a Price

The Rose Garden ceremony was tailor-made for television as President Bill Clinton, on August 5, signed an historic balanced-budget plan into law. The plan included many initiatives friendly to education, including a $40 billion package of education tax credits and a $300 increase in the maximum Pell Grant.