Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education
Sec. Sebelius: Prevention Fund Provides “Critical” Support for Women’s Health and Childhood Immunizations
04.26.12 WASHINGTON - Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius testified today before the Education and the Workforce Committee that the House Republican proposal to eliminate the Prevention Fund to stop the doubling of student loan interest rates would harm public health. House Democrats have instead proposed to eliminate billions in unwarranted tax subsidies to big oil. “The Prevention Fund is a long overdue investment and [part] of the most significant effort to keep our country he… Continue Reading
Miller: GOP Needs to Correct Vote against Students & Join Effort to Stop Doubling of Student Loan Rates
04.25.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on new legislation that will keep college students’ loan rates from doubling on July 1st. “Today, we are introducing a bill that would save millions of students and their families from higher student loan debt. As you know, President Obama is calling on Congress to prevent a doubling of interest rates on subsidized Stafford student loans that will ki… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Republican Student Loan Legislation
04.25.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on Republican legislation to address the fast approaching student loan interest rate hike. “I commend House Republicans for reversing themselves on the pending student loan interest rate hike. But I am deeply disappointed that Republicans propose extracting the price from women and children. To take health care away from middle class and low-income … Continue Reading
House Democrats Announce New Bill to Keep Student Loan Interest Rates Low and Reduce the Deficit
04.25.12 WASHINGTON - House Democrats announced that they will introduce new legislation today that will both keep college students’ loan rates from doubling on July 1st and reduce the deficit. The House Democratic bill “Stop the Rate Hike Act of 2012” will keep interest rates on need-based student loans at 3.4 percent next year, saving borrowers an average of $1,000 in loan repayment costs. The bill is fully paid for by ending unwarranted tax subsidies to big oil and gas companies. Additional saving… Continue Reading
House and Senate Democrats to Introduce Legislation to Keep Student Loan Interest Rates Low
04.24.12 WASHINGTON - House and Senate Democrats announced today that they will introduce legislation to keep college students’ loan rates from doubling on July 1st. The “Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012” keeps interest rates on need-based student loans at 3.4 percent next year for the more than 7 million borrowers. This will save the average borrower $1,000 in loan repayment costs. The bill will be fully paid for by closing a tax loophole that some of the wealthiest Americans us… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Fast Approaching Increase of Student Loan Interest Rates
04.20.12 Washington, DC - Rep. George Miller, the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today released the following statement regarding the approaching increase of student loan interest rates this summer: "This week, instead of taking action to stop a $6 billion interest rate hike on low-income and middle-income families, House Republicans passed a tax cut for the rich-and-famous that adds $46 billion to the deficit. At a time of historically low interest rates and with … Continue Reading
Students face billions in added repayment costs if interest rates double
04.02.12 WASHINGTON - Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee today released new data showing the additional costs that students will incur if interest rates on need-based student loans increase from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent this summer. More than 7 million students will incur an additional $6.3 billion in repayment costs for the 2012 - 2013 academic school year if student loan interest rates double on July 1. Despite calls from President Obama, Congressional Democrats and student… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on 2-year Anniversary of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act
03.30.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee and the author of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), which was enacted into law two years ago today, released the following statement commemorating the anniversary of the law. “Two years ago today, as part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, President Obama enacted a law that put a college education within reach for students who rely on gr… Continue Reading
Republican budget cuts students from Pell grant program
03.27.12 WASHINGTON - Democrats on the House Education and the Workforce Committee today released new data that illustrates the detrimental effects the Republican budget would have on students seeking access to higher education in each state. The Republican budget would cut 400,000 students from the Pell Grant program in the 2013-2014 school year. Their budget rolls back a key improvement to the program authored by Democrats that indexed the maximum award to inflation and eliminates other protections f… Continue Reading
Miller: Obama’s community college proposal will ensure American workers remain globally competitive
02.13.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after President Obama presented his fiscal year 2013 budget to Congress and proposed a new partnership between community colleges and local businesses to help connect workers with jobs in demand. "President Obama's budget proposal released today addresses the real challenges facing our nation. By making smart investments today, we can continue to m… Continue Reading
Miller, Hinojosa Urge Action to Prevent Student Loan Interest Rate Increase
02.10.12 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX), the senior Democrat on the Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee, today sent a letter to Chairman John Kline (R-MN) urging action to prevent the student loan interest rate hike that is scheduled to take effect in July. “This July, more than 7 million undergraduate students will see the interest rates on their need-based student … Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Streamlined Process for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
01.31.12 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced a new, streamlined application process for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Eligible public service workers' outstanding qualified federal student loan balances will be canceled after ten years of on-time loan payments. "I applaud Secretary Duncan for making it easier … Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on President Obama’s Higher Education Proposal
01.27.12 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after President Obama announced details of the administration's proposal to keep college affordable and within reach for all Americans. "Americans now owe more in student loan debt than credit card debt. Affording a higher education shouldn't be a luxury. The federal government invests billions of dollars in student aid each year, and i… Continue Reading
New Dept. of Ed guidance will ensure flexibility and promote diversity in the classroom, Miller says
12.02.11 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Education issued new guidance to support voluntary efforts to promote diversity in primary, secondary and postsecondary classrooms. The guidance was issued in order to clarify existing law and three recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that addressed the consideration of race by some educational institutions. "Our nation … Continue Reading
Miller Statement on 2009 Default Rate for Student Loans
09.12.11 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller, senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education released the national student loan cohort default rate for students who defaulted before September 30, 2010. The default rate rose to 8.8 percent, up from 7 percent in 2008. This group of students defaulted on loan payments first owed between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009. “Earning a college degree … Continue Reading
Miller Applauds Obama’s Call for Putting Partisanship Aside and Getting Americans Back to Work
09.08.11 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after President Obama’s speech this evening on job creation before a Joint Session of Congress. “Tonight, President Obama laid down a foundation to help get Americans back to work - starting this year and continuing into the future. The President’s proposals have enjoyed wide bipartisan support in the past and I applaud many of the specific … Continue Reading
Republicans Disregard Accountability for Taxpayer Dollars, Miller Argues
06.15.11 June 15, 2011 3:16 PM WASHINGTON, D.C. - Accountability must be paramount when taxpayer dollars are at stake, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), argued in opposition to H.R. 2117, a Republican measure that would repeal two Department of Education regulations that are intended to ensure that students and taxpayers receive a quality education for their investment; the state authorization rules and the rule defining the term, "credit hour." The bill passed the committee by a vote of 27 to 11. Below a… Continue Reading
GOP Budget Would Deny Pell Grants to 1.4 million students, New Data Show
04.15.11 Under the Republican budget, the maximum Pell Grant award would be cut by more than $2,500 for the 2012-2013 school year, bringing the maximum award to $3,040, the lowest it’s been since 1998. New data from the Department of Education show that the Republican budget would result in almost 1.4 million students losing eligibility for Pell grants, and all students receiving significantly reduced awards. For students, this could make college far less affordable. “The Republican budget has America’s… Continue Reading
New Data Show Thousands of Students In Every Congressional District Rely on Pell Grants to Pay for College
04.14.11 Thousands of students in every Congressional district will use a Pell Grant to help pay for college in the upcoming school year, according to new data released today. Under the Democratic majority, the Pell Grant increased to its highest level ever. Beginning in 2014, the grant will keep up with rising costs-of-living being indexed to the Consumer Price Index. In U.S. Rep. George Miller’s (D-CA) district, 17,197 are expected to receive a Pell Grant in the 2011-2012 school year.Under the Republic… Continue Reading
THURSDAY: REPS. DELAURO, MILLER FIGHT BACK AGAINST REPUBLICAN ATTACKS ON PELL GRANTS
04.06.11 H.R. 1 and new budget slash education funding, will cut support for over 9 million college studentsWashington, DC— From 2:00pm- 2:30pm on Thursday, April 7, 2011, Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) and George Miller (CA-7) will hold a press conference at the House Triangle to speak out against the proposed Republican cuts to education funding, and specifically Pell Grants. Over 9 million college students in this country rely on Pell Grants to afford college, the most since the program was start… Continue Reading