We knew there would be cuts to education.
Cutting grant perks for students when they already struggle to pay for a better future will always be like adding salt to a wound, but it may help save future financial aid.
President Barack Obama’s 2012 budget will limit Pell Grants because the Pell Grant program now faces a $20 billion deficit, said an article by USA Today. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said that “tough choices” had to be made to keep the maximum Pell Grant at $5,550.
Obama’s budget will limit Pell Grants by not allowing students to qualify for two grants in a calendar year, the article said.
It will also eliminate the money the government uses to pay interest on student loans for graduate students.
“It is regrettable that the administration is proposing to maintain Pell by making cuts to other student aid programs that provide much-needed funds to students,” said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
The plan is to help save the Pell Grant program and the financial aid programs tied to it for future students.
Unfortunately, students who have Pell Grants can’t ask for more than one, and the payments are no longer covered, but the choices for this budget are not necessarily permanent. The budget will change again, and new choices will be made in the following years, or elections.
Focusing on saving financial aid opportunities for those who come behind us is just as important as our own.
Working harder to stay in school yet protect those who come after us is a small sacrifice when thinking that if the limitations weren’t made, it could severely damage the Pell Grant program and the other financial aid programs currently tied to it in the future.
Obama’s budget plan is debatable from all directions, but it is designed to shield education, research and other key areas.
The Education Department’s overall budget would grow by 4.3 percent in 2012 under the president’s budget, the article said.
Take more than just your current financial aid standings and the future of financial aid into consideration. This part of Obama’s plan is understandable.
