The House passed a Senate amended version of the FY 2008 education spending bill (H.R. 3043) by a 274 to 141 vote late Thursday. The House had passed the bill earlier this week, but had to vote on education appropriations again after the Senate stripped the FY 2008 veterans' affairs spending bill from the spending package.

Democrats had combined the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (Labor-HHS-Education) spending bill with the veterans' affairs spending bill in hopes that President Bush would sign the combined spending package. The president is expected to veto the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill because it spends roughly $10 billion more than he recommended in his FY 2008 budget request. The bill includes a $125 increase in the Pell Grant, which would raise the maximum grant amount to $4,925.

"Americans hear a lot of talk from Washington about fiscal discipline - it's time for the Majority to keep its promises and work with Republicans on fiscally responsible funding bills the President will sign into law," said House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) during debate on the House floor.

The Labor-HHS-Education spending bill is expected to be the first spending bill sent to the president, setting up a showdown between the Bush administration and Congress. It remains unknown if Democrats will be able to gain the two-thirds majority in the House and Senate needed to overturn the expected veto.

Senate Democrats managed to get a two-thirds majority vote for the bill when the chamber first considered the bill, but were unable to get that majority when they voted on the Conference Report negotiated with the House. The House also came up just short of the two-thirds majority it needed all three times it has considered the bill.

NASFAA has urged members to pressure their Senators and Representatives to support this crucial spending bill. NASFAA thanks all members who contacted their members of Congress.

The legislative fight is not over and NASFAA continues to ask for your help in preserving the Pell Grant increases and preventing the budget cuts proposed by the Bush Administration. In addition to increasing the Pell Grant maximum award to unprecedented levels, Congress' bill also restores funds for the SEOG, Perkins loan cancellations, and LEAP to last year's levels. The president proposed eliminating these three programs in his 2008 budget request.

By Haley Chitty
NASFAA Assistant Director for Communications

Posted 11/09/07 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web Site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.