Paying More Than Lip Service

Every time politicians talk about national priorities, we hear about how education should be our country's number one concern. Our nation's economy needs a highly educated workforce, they tell us, if we are going to be able to compete in the new global economy. A college education, they warn us, is now a necessary ticket to a middle-class and decent paying job. And a strong democracy, they sometimes point out, depends on well-educated and informed citizens.

Unfortunately, many of those who talk the loudest in Washington often do the least. Despite all the rhetoric about the importance of education, the federal government has failed to allocate the funding that millions of young people and their families need to make higher education affordable.

The bottom line is that the cost of a college education is soaring, and students and their families are going deeper and deeper into debt to pay for that education. Twenty-five years ago, the maximum federally funded Pell Grant (which was designed to be the main portion of student aid) covered more than 80 percent of the average cost of attending a public four-year college, and about 40 percent of the cost of attending a private college. Today, the maximum Pell Grant covers only 39 percent of the average cost of attending a four-year public college, and only 15 percent of the cost of attending a private college.

In fact, the average Pell Grant, adjusted for inflation, has not increased at all in ten years. Federal student aid, which 20 years ago was a grants-based system, is now a loan-based system. Pell Grants today account for only 10.7 percent of all student aid, while federal students loans comprise 51.4 percent. The end result of this policy is that students graduating with four-year degrees bear an average debt of $19,000, not including what their parents owe. Students finishing graduate school are even deeper in debt.

It strikes me as extremely unfair to young Americans, and contrary to the best interests of our country, that millions of them are beginning their careers so deeply in debt. Among other things, it forces many new graduates to take jobs that earn them enough to pay off their loans, rather than pursuing the careers that would satisfy them and serve society. It is impossible to calculate how many excellent teachers, childcare workers, nurses, law enforcement officers and other professionals we have lost as a result of the federal government's failure to adequately fund financial aid programs.

Accordingly, in the new Congress that has convened this January, I will be proposing substantial increases in the federal support for higher education, including:

--doubling the funding for Pell Grants, from $7.6 billion to $15 billion;

--doubling total federal spending on aid to post-secondary students from $13 to $26 billion; and

--substantially increasing funding to cancel the education debts of graduates who enter public service--including teaching, social work, child care and law enforcement.

Can the federal government afford to give students and families more financial help to pay for college? The answer is clearly "yes." At a time when the current federal budget surplus is over $200 billion, and when very large surpluses are anticipated in coming years, we now have a unique opportunity to make certain that college education becomes affordable for every American family.

Education in this country must become a major national priority, and not something we just pay lip service to. That means the federal government must accept its responsibility to adequately fund it. Currently, we are providing only $13 billion a year on aid to post-secondary students and contribute less than fifteen percent of the operating costs of our nation's colleges and universities. If we can afford to give the Pentagon a $22 billion increase in its budget-as we did this year--surely we can afford to increase student aid for higher education by $13 billion. If we can afford to spend $125 billion on corporate welfare each year, surely we can afford to increase Pell Grants by $7.4 billion.

Will we be successful in significantly increasing federal aid to college students and higher education? Will we be able to end the absurd situation of millions of young Americans beginning their careers oppressively in debt? The answer depends entirely upon the willingness of the citizens of this country, especially college students, to demand a fundamental change in national priorities and to be actively involved in the political process.

Currently, members of Congress are assaulted every day by well-paid lobbyists representing multi-national corporations and the wealthy who demand tax breaks and favors for the powerful special interests in our country that need it the least. On the other hand, I and my Congressional colleagues hear almost nothing from college and graduate students and their parents who incur tens of thousands of dollars in educational debt.

We can change this situation, but only if students play a leadership in that process. Hold campus rallies, arrange for meetings with your member of Congress, march on Washington. Working together, we can change our national priorities, and make college affordable for all.

U.S. Representative Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is a member of Congress. He was a lecturer at the Kennedy School of Government in 1989.