Today’s debate on the Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act affords us a valuable opportunity to discuss challenges facing our higher education system. There’s no denying the cost of college is skyrocketing. Last year, tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities increased 8.3 percent, even as inflation rose only by approximately three percent. In recent months, stu... Read more »
Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to consider the Protecting Academic Freedom in Higher Education Act (H.R. 2117). Sponsored by Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), the bipartisan legislation will repeal two unnecessary federal regulations that impose additional costs on institutions of higher education. House Committee on E... Read more »
THE PROBLEM: Over the last decade, college costs have skyrocketed. Last year, tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities increased 8.3 percent, even as inflation only rose by approximately three percent. The average four-year public college student now graduates with roughly $22,000 in debt. Despite the Obama Administration’s failed attempts to rein in college costs through a ... Read more »
U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following remarks on President Obama’s $3.8 trillion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2013: A Budget of Broken Promises “Time and again, President Obama has failed to keep his promises to the American people. The president promised to cut the deficit in half, but instead presided over three years of trillion d... Read more »
U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) today issued the following statements in response to President Obama’s remarks on college costs at the University of Michigan: Chairman Kline: “The president’s remarks correctly describe the value of a higher education and the chall... Read more »
During the State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to prevent an increase in student loan interest rates from hitting students, stating, “At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July.” While we all agree on the importance of keeping college affordable and providi... Read more »
Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the scope and efficacy of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs. The report, requested last January by House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), reveals more ... Read more »
As President Obama prepares to deliver his latest State of the Union address, the administration is working at a fever pitch to put the final pieces of its backdoor education agenda in place. On Tuesday, the American people are sure to hear the president wax poetically about his efforts to bolster K-12 education, provide relief to states struggling under No Child Left Behind, and grant reprieve to... Read more »
Dear Secretary Duncan: On October 27, 2011, the Committee on Education and the Workforce sent you a letter regarding the President's intention to unilaterally alter federal policies governing federal student loans. Your November 18 reply failed to provide adequate responses to the majority of the questions posed. To gain a better understanding of the provisions included in the President's student... Read more »
Today, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), held a hearing entitled, “Keeping College within Reach: Discussing Ways Institutions Can Streamline Costs and Reduce Tuition.” Over the last decade, college costs have risen dramatically. In the past year alone, in-state tuition and fees at public four-year institutions increased 8.3 percent, ... Read more »
