Universities Weblog

This is the question on many a politician's–and student's– mind. With a long-sought voting majority in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, Democrats now have the power to change the laws set by former Republicans. One of the 'hot' issues is higher education.

The Higher Education Act, enacted in 1965 as a part of Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society" program, helps low-income students by providing federal funding for loans, grants and scholarships. Congress must periodically reauthorize the act, often making changes. Since President George W. Bush took office, the Republicans failed to raise the maximum Pell Grant amount significantly as promised. Instead, in February 2002 the Republicans fixed student-loan interest rates at 6.8 percent for new loans taken out after July 2006. The Higher Education Act is up for reauthorization this December, but the Republicans currently in power are likely to leave it on the back burner so the Democrats have to deal with the reauthorization. Should they get this opportunity, Democrats in both houses have several issues to tackle: the Pell Grant caps, interest rates on Student Loans and tax breaks for college students.