NASFAA Mention: Trump Faces Backlash Over Plan to Dip Into Pell Reserves

"Education advocates say a Trump administration plan to use federal Pell Grant money to fund space exploration would jeopardize aid for future college students and could trigger a budgeting crisis within just a few years," The Associated Press reports.

"The plan aims to redirect $1.9 billion from a Pell Grant surplus to jumpstart other projects, primarily a NASA initiative to put astronauts back on the moon. In announcing the plan Monday, administration officials said it would keep the Pell program, the largest source of federal aid for low-income students, on sound fiscal footing and would not harm students.

But a chorus of education organizations pushed back Tuesday.

... Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, called the Trump plan short-sighted.

'We will most definitely be facing a period of time when we need those surplus dollars,' said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. 'If we don’t have a surplus, we have to make cuts to the program to make up for it.'"

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

 

Publication Date: 5/14/2019


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