CONFERENCE AGREEMENT ON FY 2002 BUDGET RESOLUTION: Shortchanging
America's Students
Contact: Ellin Nolan 202.289.3910
May 7, 2001- The Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations
(COHEAO) is disappointed with the education funding levels included in
the recently released conference agreement on the FY 2002 budget resolution.
The conference agreement fails to reflect the administration's claim that
education is its first priority and instead shows that student aid and
our nation's students are afterthoughts.
With total domestic discretionary spending in the conference agreement
below the levels needed to maintain current education expenditures (according
to Congressional Budget Office estimates), there is no way the administration's
promised increases in education will materialize without deep cuts elsewhere
in the budget. In particular, the conference agreement on the FY 2002 budget
resolution fails to provide appropriated education programs with any increase
above the CBO's baseline in 2002 or any other year, and drops the $320
billion in crucial education funding increases that the U.S. Senate recommended.
These additional funds would have provided urgently needed funding for
student aid and education programs overall.
Instead, conferees decided to set the FY02 discretionary spending level
at $661.3 billion, of which $325.1 billion is slated for defense spending,
and $336.2 billion for all non-defense appropriations, including education.
Although there is sufficient funding available to include a tax cut of
$1.35 trillion over the next 11 years, conferees failed to find additional
funding for our nation's education needs. Conferees claimed that the conference
agreement increased funding for education, health, and other critical programs;
however, none of those increases are reflected in the calculations of the
budget resolution.
COHEAO is a partnership of over 300 educational and commercial members
and promotes access to postsecondary education. COHEAO focuses on legislative
and regulatory advocacy for Federal Perkins and other campus-based student
loan programs.
More information on COHEAO is available by calling COHEAO at 202.289.3910
or by visiting the COHEAO website.
Return
to Previous
