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Written by: Shelley Rodgers
Published: 10/01/2001 White House and Congress Continue to Work on Education Agenda
While the country recovers from the recent terrorist attacks, Members of Congress have refocused their attention on approving the federal budget. In the revived budget debate, education reform, while still a top priority, vies for funding with disaster-recovery proposals.
According to White House aides, restarting congressional action on stalled education reforms is the first order of business. So important in fact, that, the White House and lawmakers in Congress, have worked tirelessly to iron out differences between the Senate and House versions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and both sides are confident an agreement will be reached this fall.
Education funding, meanwhile, also remains a top budget priority for both Congress and the White House, while consideration of former priority issues like prescription-drug coverage for seniors and a constituent’s’ bill of rights, will likely be delayed until next year, reports USA Today.
Before they can adjourn for this year, lawmakers in Congress must approved the 13 federal appropriations bills for the 2002 fiscal year, including one, not yet introduced, that funds federal education programs. A general framework for the bill has been worked out and is expected to include providing a $60 billion increase for education programs for 2002, $3.3-billion more than President Bush requested for in his budget plan last April.
Some college lobbyists have suggested that, while much of the education appropriation will go to elementary- and secondary-education programs, the maximum Pell Grant will be increased by $150 or $200, an amount greater than the $100 boost President Bush supported in his original budget proposal.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, college lobbyists are also optimistic that Congress will provide spending increases for the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program, which augments Pell Grants for student from low-income families, and the TRIO programs for disadvantaged students.
The total budget package, including education funding, is expected to be $686 billion. Many budget analysts suggest the budget numbers to increase again next year as extra spending soars into the tens of billions of dollars as the White House and Congress provide still more money for recovery from the attacks.
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