Statement by Secretary Spellings on College Cost Reduction Act of 2007

The White House today issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) on the U.S. House of Representatives College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, in which senior advisors recommended that the President veto the bill in its current form. In supporting this action by the White House, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the following:

When it comes to helping more Americans pursue the dream of a college education, the federal government’s role has always been to help those students most in need. Unfortunately, the House bill fails to meet that responsibility. It does little to benefit America’s neediest students and essentially diverts a majority of savings in the bill to individuals out of school rather than focusing on aiding low-income students in school.

The House bill devotes only 38 percent of its savings to benefit low-income students, with only $5.8 billion dedicated to increase Pell Grants. In contrast, the President’s Budget invests nearly 100 percent of its proposed savings to help students most in need, including $19.8 billion to support increases to the Pell Grant.

I look forward to working with Congress to address these issues in a way that best meets the needs of America’s students.