House Republicans’ spending bill cuts 15% from Pell grants

Chronicle of Higher Education : True to their pre-election pledges, Republicans in the House of Representatives have drawn up a federal budget for the next fiscal year that aims to reduce America’s budget deficit. Among the budget-cutting measures is a 15% reduction, equivalent to $845, from the maximum Pell grant . Introduced in 1965, Pell grants are aimed at helping students from poor families attend university. If enacted, the budget plan would not only reduce the grants’ value, it would also make it harder to qualify for the grants in the first place. An estimated 1.7 million high-school students would become ineligible for the grants.