Durbin: Don’t Cut Pell Grants

March 7, 2011 7:54 AM

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)

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Heard on WBBM 780, Local, News, Politics

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CHICAGO (WBBM) – While Congress has averted a government shutdown for now, Illinois’ highest ranking Democrat is going into budget talks with serious objections to proposed cuts.

As WBBM Newsradio 780′s Nancy Harty reports, Pell grants that currently give college students $5,500 per year would be cut by $845 per grant.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Nancy Harty reports

That idea doesn’t sit well with U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

“One president of a downstate private university said to me that they would lose 5 percent of their student body if the House Republican budget goes through on Pell grants,” Durbin said. “It’s an indication of how close to the edge many students are.”

Durbin was speaking to reporters on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago about income tax for education spending.

He wants House Republicans to spread the pain across a broader swath of the budget, not, in his words, “just target education and government research.”

Jim

Durbin didn’t care that 5% of Illinois residents would lose out on food and/or shelter with his back-door tax hike so why does he care about this?
fizz

A Pell grant got me started at a community college. I eventually got my masters and am a social worker, assisting numerous people in Chicago who are desperate. I doubt I would have ever gone to college without the Pell grant kick starting it. Education is expensive, but much needed and many cannot afford it.
LOTD

The way I understand it, is one of the reasons education is getting so expensive is that the fed & states are BROKE and not paying the institutions. That’s a fact in IL!!! Thus, they have to raise tuition and fees to be able to continue to operate. Hey Durbin, why don’t you and your cronies take a hefty paycut and allow the state to attempt to pay back some of the money that it owes!!!?? As Jim above stated, why does he care about this?? Durbin is a liberal piece of garbage and a disgrace to IL.
Bill

Senator: You have been extremely vocal on where the federal budget should not be cut. PLease tell us where it Should be cut so that Uncle Sam stops borrwoing almost 50 cents of every dollar it is spending.

Citizen

I agree, Durbin always has complaints, but never solutions. If you haven’t got a better plan, then shut up

A L

Republicans must be stopped in 2012 by voting and keeping them in the minority. Middle class families do NOT stand a chance of success with a Republican causus in majoriy. Look at all the other cuts the Republicans want to make which include headstart, heating assistance, family planning and the list goes on and on. However, one can see that Republicans will NOT negatively affect the wealthiest or the rich corporations. Republicans are insisting on subsidies for the rich oil companies and fighting to take away COLLECTIVE BARGAINING because they feel these groups help elect Democrats. Middle class folks, please make it your livelyhood to vote in 2012 so we can keep our progress going. The 2012 elections will determine how the middle class will survive. It is easy, if the middle class do NOT vote or make the wrong vote (Republicans), we are going to loose the advancement we have achieved with president Obama and his administration. Republicans now want to tax GIRL SCOUT COOKIES, please. We need to get the gavel out of Boehner’s hand because he is a liar, He had NOT created one job’s bill and all his time has wasted on family planning, repealing healthcare reform, re-installing “foam” cups in their cafeteria. Email and/or call (202-225-6205) Boehner to let him know how disappointed we are and ask him: WHERE ARE THE JOBS?