1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I write in vehement opposition to the proposed House GOP budget bill and its devastating assault on students, working families, and the future of higher education in this country. This bill slashes the Pell Grant program—cutting or eliminating aid for two-thirds of recipients, including 1.4 million students attending less than half-time. These are not numbers—they are working parents, first-generation students, caregivers, and low-income Americans who already juggle more than most to make college work. Redefining “full time” enrollment to 30 credits per year disqualifies millions of students from full aid simply because they can’t take on an unsustainable course load. It’s a cruel, calculated move designed to push them into the claws of predatory lenders. But it doesn’t stop there. This budget terminates subsidized loans for undergrads, eliminates Grad PLUS loans, caps borrowing below actual tuition costs for professional degrees, and strips repayment protections—creating a new generation of borrowers trapped in high-interest debt without escape. As the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators warns: “Rather than making college more affordable, this bill would eliminate entire federal student aid programs...and remove provisions intended to protect taxpayer dollars.” The American Council on Education calls it what it is: a bill that “puts college out of reach for hundreds of thousands” and “undermines the academic and research system that has driven our economy.” This is not fiscal responsibility—it’s an ideological war on working people disguised as budgeting. It makes college more expensive, reduces access, and increases financial desperation—just to fund permanent tax breaks for billionaires and multinational corporations. I urge you to stand firmly against this cynical betrayal of American students. Vote no on this disastrous budget and instead demand a future where higher education is a ladder up, not an anchor dragging students into debt.