Press Releases

House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement regarding President Obama's higher education proposal:

Encouraging more individuals to pursue training or earn a college degree is a national priority and community colleges play a vital role in that effort. But make no mistake, the president is proposing yet another multi-billion dollar federal program that will compete with existing programs for limited taxpayer dollars.

Today the president forgot to mention teachers who serve students with disabilities year after year without the resources the federal government has promised. He forgot to mention the low-income families who rely on a Pell Grant program that is on the path to bankruptcy. And the president forgot to mention those students and families facing higher college costs because many states are already stretched too thin.

Unless the president has a responsible plan to meet our existing commitments, he shouldn’t be making new promises the American people can’t afford. Instead, the president should work with Congress in crafting a comprehensive, bipartisan plan that strengthens access to higher education for all Americans. That is the challenge we face and it’s time the president got serious about it.

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