Hirono, Reed, Whitehouse Lead Colleagues in Push to Strengthen Federal Pell Grant Program

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) led 41 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS), as well as Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, encouraging them to provide robust investment in the Pell Grant program for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025). In the letter, the senators request a discretionary increase to the award as Congress works towards doubling the Pell Grant for students.

“We remain concerned that the value of the Pell Grant has steadily declined since it was first created – now covering the lowest share of the cost of attendance in its 50-year history,” wrote the senators. “Increasing the maximum award would provide a substantial investment toward reversing this decades-long decline.”

Specifically, the letter requests that the discretionary allocation for the Pell Grant effectively:

• Meets the needs of students;
• Protects all Pell Grant program reserves; and
• Expands eligibility to students who have been historically excluded or previously cut out from being eligible for the Pell Grant.

“The need for Congress to provide robust investment in the Pell Grant program is clear. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, students are still struggling just to meet their basic needs as they pursue higher education,” continued the senators. “It is critically important that the Subcommittee continues to protect all Pell Grant reserves from any reallocation, raid, or rescission that would hasten any shortfalls in the program.”

“The Pell Grant is the cornerstone of federal student aid, and currently helps over 6 million students pursue higher education in the United States,” the senators concluded. “With a continued investment in the Pell Grant, we can better extend educational opportunity to more students from low- and moderate- income families, who will be critical to meeting the demand for a highly educated-workforce.”

In addition to Senators Hirono, Reed, and Whitehouse, the letter is signed by Senators Angus King (I-ME), Tom Carper (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Peter Welch (D-VT), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Sherron Brown (D-OH), Jon Tester (D-MT), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Laphonza Butler (D-CA).  

“APLU applauds Senators Hirono, Reed, and Whitehouse for their critical leadership in working to advance the Pell Grant – the cornerstone of federal student aid. Congress has made significant strides to increase the maximum Pell Grant in recent years, but decades of underinvestment after Congress created the program in the 1970s eroded its purchasing power. Working toward doubling the maximum Pell Grant will go a long way to increase college affordability and completion for low-income students,” said Mark Becker, President of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

“Pell Grants can be literally life-changing for the students and families that most need help to afford a transformational higher education experience that will enable them to achieve their dreams,” said University of Hawai?i President David Lassner.  “Our underserved populations and everyone in Hawai?i, and across the nation, will benefit if these efforts by Senator Hirono and her colleagues are successful in reversing the decades-long stagnation of this vital federal assistance.”

“As lawmakers work toward a funding package for FY25, we strongly support efforts to increase the maximum Pell Grant award and ensure that funding dedicated to the Pell Grant program is protected and not used to fill budget gaps in other programs,” said Michele Zampini, Senior Director of College Affordability (TICAS). “The Pell Grant program is the federal government’s foundational investment in college affordability, enabling more than 7 million low- and middle-income students—including 60 percent of Black undergraduates and half of Latino undergraduates—to attend college each year. By working to double the maximum Pell award and protecting the program’s existing funding reserves, lawmakers can make college far more affordable for millions of students.”

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Chair Baldwin and Ranking Member Capito:

As you begin your work on Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025) appropriations, we urge the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Subcommittee to make sure the discretionary allocation for the Pell Grant effectively meets the needs of students, protects all Pell Grant program reserves, and expands eligibility to students who have been historically excluded or previously cut out from being eligible for the Pell Grant. We respectfully request you provide a discretionary increase to the award as Congress works toward doubling the Pell Grant for students.

We appreciate the LHHS Subcommittee’s work to increase the Pell Grant maximum award in recent years. But we remain concerned that the value of the Pell Grant has steadily declined since it was first created – now covering the lowest share of the cost of attendance in its 50-year history. Increasing the maximum award would provide a substantial investment toward reversing this decades-long decline.

The need for Congress to provide robust investment in the Pell Grant program is clear. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, students are still struggling just to meet their basic needs as they pursue higher education. Recently, for example, the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) reported that 29 percent of the students they surveyed were food insecure, and 14 percent were housing insecure. Especially at a time of expected shortfalls in the Pell Grant program, it is critically important that the Subcommittee continues to protect all Pell Grant reserves from any reallocation, raid, or rescission that would hasten any shortfalls in the program. Pell Grant funds should be retained in the program to increase the maximum award, reverse prior eligibility cuts, and provide new opportunities to provide higher education to historically underrepresented students.

The Pell Grant is the cornerstone of federal student aid, and currently helps over 6 million students pursue higher education in the United States. With a continued investment in the Pell Grant, we can better extend educational opportunity to more students from low- and moderate- income families, who will be critical to meeting the demand for a highly educated-workforce.

Thank you for your continued commitment to the Pell Grant. We appreciate your consideration of these requests.

Sincerely,

###