House Democrats on Monday said they plan to seek an increase in the Pell Grant to make college more affordable but conceded the increase would only be by a couple hundred dollars.
The plan is part of a new “Aim Higher” legislative campaign that touches on broad issues of access, affordability and completion, although lawmakers offered few details about the specific policy solutions they intend to introduce.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) said the Pell grant increase and other measures they expected to seek to increase access, affordability and completion are “a matter or priority.”
“Do we as a country want to make investments in our people and create a workforce needed for today and tomorrow’s jobs, or do we want to give tax cuts with benefits that flow disproportionally to the top one percent,” Scott said Monday during a press call about the campaign.
“As one of the richest countries in the world, we have the resources to ensure that more individuals reach the benefit of higher education,” said Scott. “We just must have the courage and political will to do it.”
The Democrats’ campaign comes as Congress plans to pursue reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
The maximum Pell grant is currently $5,815.
