Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education
Legislation to Make Landmark Investments in College Affordability Clears House
09.17.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Legislation that will make college dramatically more affordable for millions of Americans, at no new cost to taxpayers, overwhelming passed the U.S. House of Representatives today. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3221), which was approved by a bipartisan vote of 253 to 171, will move the U.S. closer to reaching President Obama’s goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. It will generate almost $90 billion in savings ov… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Floor Statement on Historic Student Aid Bill
09.17.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Below are the prepared remarks of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, during House consideration of H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009.***I rise today in support of H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, a bill that will be transformative for our children, our economy, and our future.Like President Obama’s other two pillars for economic growth - health reform and energy -this bill… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement at Press Conference on Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009
09.15.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Below are the prepared remarks of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, for a press conference on H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009.***Good afternoon. I’d like to thank U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Reps. Tom Petri, Tim Bishop, Ruben Hinojosa, and all our colleagues for joining us today.I’d especially like to thank all the students for coming, and Jelisa Difon who will be sharing her story wi… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Praises Biden College Affordability Speech
09.09.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after Vice President Joe Biden delivered a speech on college affordability and urged Congress to pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. The legislation passed the House Education and Labor Committee in July with bipartisan support and is expected to be considered by the House of Representatives in September. The legislation will generate almost … Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on the Passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver
08.11.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today released the following statement on the death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Shriver founded the Special Olympics and was a lifelong advocate for people with intellectual disabilities.“My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Ted Kennedy, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, and the entire Kennedy family on this difficult day. Today, we mourn the loss of a leader who inspired and changed the lives of m… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Praises Obama Administration and State of California for Ensuring Equal Access to GI Bill Benefits
08.04.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the Department of Veterans Affairs and the state of California announced an agreement about how tuition and fees at the state’s public colleges and universities are determined that will ensure that veterans who attend any college in California are able to receive the full amount of financial aid they are eligible for under the new GI Bill - and that veterans in other states receive. The agreement was reached after the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee passed a sim… Continue Reading
Republicans Continue to Mislead Public on Historic Student Aid Bill
07.29.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today House Republicans once again proved that they’re more committed to finding cheap budgetary tricks that will help them score political points than having a meaningful, honest debate about legislation that will help students and parents pay for college. For the second time in two days, Republicans asked the Congressional Budget Office to manipulate an analysis of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3221), a bill that will invest almost $90 billion in additi… Continue Reading
Miller: Republicans Try to Cook the Books on Historic Student Aid Bill
07.28.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, in a desperate attempt to confuse the American people about a landmark bill to make college more affordable and reduce the deficit, Republican lawmakers deliberately asked the Congressional Budget Office to ignore current student loan market conditions and standard scoring methods. Republicans in the House and Senate released a manipulated analysis they requested from CBO that uses a methodology preferred by banks, and does not take into account the changed landscape of… Continue Reading
Legislation to Make Landmark Investments in College Affordability Clears House Committee
07.21.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Legislation that will make college dramatically more affordable for millions of Americans, at no new cost to taxpayers, was approved today by the House Education and Labor Committee by a bipartisan vote of 30 to 17. The full House of Representatives will vote on the bill next.The legislation, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, will generate almost $100 billion in savings over the next ten years that will be used to boost Pell Grant scholarships, keep intere… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Introduces Legislation to Make Landmark Investments in College Affordability
07.15.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today introduced legislation that will make college dramatically more affordable by investing billions of dollars in additional student aid - and at no new cost to taxpayers. The legislation, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, will generate almost $100 billion in savings over the next ten years that will be used to boost Pell Grant scholarships, keep interest rates on f… Continue Reading
Starting Tomorrow, Student Loan Payments Become More Affordable for Millions of Americans
06.30.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Starting tomorrow, federal student loans will become more affordable to repay as a new Income-Based Repayment (IBR) program takes effect. IBR will allow borrowers to cap their monthly loan payments based on how much income they earn. This program, in conjunction with a lower interest rate on subsidized - or need-based - student loans and an increase in the Pell Grant scholarship, will help make college more affordable and help alleviate devastating student loan burdens for mi… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Applauds Obama Administration for Simplifying Federal Student Aid Application
06.24.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today praised President Barack Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan for announcing a new effort to simplify the federal student aid application, called the FAFSA. The Obama administration will be able to implement some of their proposed changes immediately; other proposals would require legislative action. Miller today said that the House will consider these proposals as part of … Continue Reading
America’s Students, Families and Taxpayers Need Major College Loan Reforms, Witnesses Tell House Education Committee
05.21.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - A wide and growing consensus of stakeholders, including the Obama administration, Sallie Mae, colleges and students, agree that major reforms must be made to the federal student loan programs in order to make college more affordable for years to come, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. In the last year, the crises in the credit markets and the economy have dramatically altered the student loan landscape, putting the federally-guaranteed student loan … Continue Reading
Starting July 1, Federal Student Loan Payments Will Become More Manageable for Borrowers
05.14.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - With this year’s college graduates preparing to enter one of the toughest job markets in years, today Democratic lawmakers announced new benefits that will take effect July 1 that will make college more affordable for students and allow borrows to cap their monthly student loan payments at a reasonable percentage of their income. The benefits were established under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, a law Congress enacted in 2007 that provided an additional $20 billion… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Hails Obama Initiatives to Expand College and Job Training Access
05.08.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today hailed the Obama administration for taking steps to expand access to college and other education and job training programs for workers who have lost their jobs. President Obama announced this effort as today’s April jobs report showed the U.S. economy lost 593,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate shot to 8.9 percent. “As we continue working to turn our economy around, we hav… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on Jump in Private Student Loan Borrowing
04.21.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to a new study showing the number of undergraduate students borrowing private student loans increased by 9 percent over the past five years, from 5 percent in 2003-04 to 14 percent in 2007-08, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement: “This report confirms our fear that many students - coping with a worsening college cost crisis - may be turning to more expensive, risky private student … Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Statement on Budget and Student Loan Reform
03.26.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement after the House Budget Committee considered and passed the House Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2010. Among other things, the resolution includes instructions for the House Education and Labor Committee to enact reforms that produce $1 billion in savings for taxpayers over the next five years. Miller today announced the committee intends to use these instr… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Congratulates Gabriella Gomez on Department of Education Post
03.19.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today praised the nomination of Gabriella Gomez, a senior education policy advisor for the committee, as Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs at the Department of Education. “I am thrilled that President Obama has nominated Gaby to be Assistant Education Secretary. Over the past three years, she has helped Congress enact some of the most significant changes to higher e… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller Lauds President Obama’s Higher Education Budget
02.26.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement praising President Obama’s higher education budget proposals. “President Obama made it very clear that we should review every program to make sure that its operating in the best interests of taxpayers and that we should eliminate excess waste wherever we find it. The President’s proposal to save taxpayers almost $50 billion within the higher education program… Continue Reading
Chairman Miller: Obama Recovery Plan A Good Deal for College Students and Families
02.18.09 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Millions of college students and families will receive significant help paying for college next year under the economic recovery plan President Obama signed into law yesterday. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will immediately increase the Pell Grant scholarship by an additional $500 next year. The legislation will also provide students and families with a new, partially refundable college tuition tax credit of $2,500, among other things. U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-C… Continue Reading