Rep. Denny Rehberg: Pell Grants Are Becoming 'The Welfare Of The 21st Century'

WASHINGTON -- Pell Grants are the nation's largest financial aid program, providing low-income students with grants to help pay for the rising cost of attending college. But the cost of the program is also growing rapidly, set to exceed $40 billion for the 2012 fiscal year.

Some lawmakers have been exploring ways to reducing the costs of the programs by lowering the maximum grant size -- which is currently $5,550 -- or somehow restricting eligibility. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education that deals with the program, has examined whether there are ways to tie the grants to achievement or graduation rates.

In a radio interview on Friday, he compared Pell Grants to "welfare" and decried the fact that students who receive them don't have any sort of graduation requirement and could go straight from the education grant to "food stamps."

"So you can go to college on Pell Grants -- maybe I should not be telling anybody this because it’s turning out to be the welfare of the 21st century," said Rehberg in an interview with Blog Talk Radio. "You can go to school, collect your Pell Grants, get food stamps, low-income energy assistance, section 8 housing, and all of a sudden we find ourselves subsidizing people that don’t have to graduate from college. And there ought to be some kind of commitment and endgame."

Rehberg added under the federal program, a student could "go to school for nine years on Pell Grants and you don’t even have to get a degree."

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Jason Delisle, director of the Federal Education Budget Project at the New America Foundation, took issue with Rehberg's comments.

"I don't know if it's a fair characterization that someone has decided to go through the hoops of applying to college, getting enrolled and showing up every day because it's the welfare lifestyle," he said. "If the issue is people are being lazy and living off the dole, so to speak, I don't think their first step is to enroll in college."

"The other programs that he's listed here are minimal subsistence emergency-type programs -- like food stamps and energy assistance and section 8 housing -- providing the bare essentials for people who can't afford them. Pell Grants aren't even in that category," he added.

Rehberg's spokesman didn't provide additional comment when called by The Huffington Post but urged that people listen to the entire context of the congressman's comments.

On his website, Rehberg says that he supports the Pell Grant program but is concerned at their growing cost.

“Pell Grants open a lot of doors, but they rely on a solvent government,” warned Rehberg. “Getting our deficit under control and making sure Pell Grants can be sustainably funded is the only way we can guarantee that they will still be around for the next generation.”

But in Montana, Rehberg has been taking some heat for voting for the House GOP budget resolution, which would reduce the maximum Pell Grant from $5,500 to $4,705 and narrow the eligibility of applicants. Financial aid officials at the University of Montana and Carroll College in Rehberg's home state recently told reporters that they were disappointed in his vote and urged Montana's two U.S. senators to preserve funding.

In Montana, 24,000 students are scheduled to receive a Pell Grant next year. If the House budget bill becomes law, the state would lose $15 million in funding for the program.

Delisle agreed that getting the program's costs under control is tough politically -- especially if lawmakers want to keep the maximum award at current levels -- but noted that the Obama administration has proposed some solutions that Republicans have opposed.

"The Obama administration has been trying to restrict Pell Grant eligibility at for-profit colleges that have really poor outcomes for students," he said. "Many Republicans have been fighting it tooth and nail. So it's interesting to hear them say things like how they're very concerned about all this Pell Grant money being wasted on people who don't get degrees and seem to be sitting around not doing much of anything. We know that if that type of behavior is going on, it's going on most at these for-profit colleges. There seems to be a major inconsistency in some of the rhetoric there."

Comments

[WiseGuy281]

12:33 PM on 04/17/2011

I understand the U.S. Government is running out of money to fund programs to help its poorest citizens. I understand there are people like Senator Rehberg who want to stop funding entitlement programs all together. If the problems that created these programs can be addressed in some other way, go for it. Lumping Pell Grants with welfare and food stamps is unfair. The college students I know are either unemployed looking for work or working poor.The bigger problems facing our economy might be why our representatives continue to think about the big pockets that fund their campaigns instead of thinking about the citizens that voted for them in the first place.

[Jen Grentzer]

10:02 AM on 04/12/2011

Dear Denny: My Son was born when I was 18. I was on welfare for 5 years. I lived in public housing and received food stamps too. I graduated in 1999 with my Bachelor's Degree and never received another welfare check. I own my home, I bought it when I was 23 because I was careful and built credit. Pell paid for my education. I'm a Social Worker in a Community College working with single mothers who are trying to do the same thing. Duh, education is a successful end to poverty! Oh wait, you don't want an end...you wouldn't have anyone to blame and stereotype.

[ackezzy]

07:18 AM on 04/05/2011

its about time somebody stood up to student grants, investments in education trying to keep our nation competitive in the future is destroying our economy

[montanacitizen]

09:40 PM on 04/04/2011

As a resident of Montana it worries me to read comments like this from the very affluent Denny Rehberg. Maybe he should realize that his home welfare state of Montana would be in peril were it not for federal subsidies. The population of Montana is not affluent and therefore a significant percentage of students qualify for the Pell grant when attending institutions. Speaking in such ridiculous and derogatory terms is an affront to the residents of Montana and students nationwide who are seeking to improve their lives through higher education. It's just plain mean and egregiously out of touch.

[Rita Wells]

09:21 PM on 04/04/2011

His sister is an elementary school principal in Billings, Montana- the family has money though so I doubt she needed a Pell Grant or any financial help to get through college and grad school. Too bad the rest of us aren't so fortunate.

[Jim Anderson]

08:03 PM on 04/04/2011

God I hate republicans.

[giddylockjaw]

05:04 PM on 04/04/2011

There are academic guidelines, one must complete 75% of attempted credits and maintain a 2.0 GPA. If a program should take 4 years to complete a Pell recipient cannot receive the grant for more than 6 years. THESE ARE LAWS THAT CONGRESS MAKES REGARDING FINANCIAL AID! How can elected representative spread mis-information and not be held accountable? This guy needs a new assistant who does not feed him misrepresented facts or he needs to fire himself.

[James1972]

03:22 PM on 04/04/2011

I was awared Pell grants during my 4 years in college. For various reasons It would have been impossible to earn my degree without those Pell grants. Specifically because of Pell grants I now have a college degree (1st ever in my family), a well established career, my wife can stay home and raise our children. Lastly, I paid $14,729.62 last year in federal tax, social security, and Medicare.

Now, according to Denny I'm the problem? WOW! Montana, fire this guy!!

[souix55]

06:29 PM on 04/04/2011

This is coming from a guy who is too cheap to rent an apartment in DC, so he sleeps in his office and showers in the gym. Talk about living off of the government!

[Pam95650]

03:21 PM on 04/04/2011

When these right wing hacks spew this type of BS, it makes me want to vomit. How on earth can we, as a nation, compete on a global scale if we can't go to college?

[Zen Diesel]

02:07 PM on 04/04/2011

I find his statements quite offensive, thanks to Pell Grants I was able to graduate from college and live a productive life as an adult.

[MAWG]

03:28 PM on 04/04/2011

As did I. I received Pell Grants and a number of other state grants, scholarships and loans to pay for college. I did not view these as handouts or welfare, did not take advantage of the "free" money (I completed my undergrad in 3 years), but I most likely would not have finished my degree and definitely would not have my great job at a non-profit had I not received this assistance.

I find it deplorable that this representative (and other politicians) can view higher education as a right only to the rich, with a mindset of "if you can't afford it, don't go."

[morbius]

10:59 AM on 04/04/2011

If he's so worried about "people living off the dole" why doesn't he look at corporate wealfare, tax cuts for the rich?

[brian smart]

10:26 AM on 04/04/2011

The rich Repubs don't want poor people to be educated, because then they wouldn't be able to pull the wool over their eyes anymore.

[CSIP]

09:01 AM on 04/04/2011

i would be curious to know how many people he knows that have needed pell grants. my wife had one several years ago and now she has a masters degree and is a successful educator. i am so sick of people acting like all of those that need assistance are freeloaders. there will always be people that take advantage of the system, but they are a small minority. the majority are people that only want to better themselves. i would not have thought this would be news to the gop, but people do not enjoy being poor. they do not want to need assistance they want to be successful. but that is just coming from someone who has been there are made it out, what do i know?

[PolitiConservative]

10:28 AM on 04/04/2011

Congratulations to your wife. She is aobviously a success story.

Nevertheless, wouldn't she have been a good candidate for a student loan? Why should the government giver her the money to go to college instead of loan her the money?

[science teacher]

10:39 AM on 04/04/2011

Have you priced the cost of college lately?

It is very easy in this day and age for a student to leave school with $60k in debt.

Try starting your life in this economy with that hanging over your head.

And what is the problem with the nation contributing to a student's education?

We contribute to the military.

Contributing to a student's education defends us as much as contributing to the military.

[Karelle Scharff]

04:44 PM on 04/04/2011

Two points here: Most people who receive pell grants are also receiving student loans. Many kids are graduating with tens of thousands of dollars in loans, entering a job market that doesn't even begin to offer high enough salaries/wages to pay for one's daily bread AND pay one's loans. If they can find a job at all. That's reality in case it had escaped you.
Second point: The media is reporting that within 2 years, China will surpass the US in the number of published scientific papers. While that may seem unrelated, what it tells me is that we need to do everything possible to get kids into, through and out of college and into positions where they can help move the country forward. That won't happen if they are forced to take on loans that there isn't a job market to support paying.

[Gregor53]

08:11 AM on 04/04/2011

Not to mention members of States and Federal Congress receiviing federal money for their farms.  I think that the Health Care benefit for the elected officials is also a Welfare for the rich.

[JOFB]

08:26 AM on 04/04/2011

Greg, since the Congress seems to vote in all their own perks ( gee - wouldn't that be nice for the rest of us) and until we change the system, they will get whatever they so desire. It is important to stick up for the unions, because overall -- the unions are the only protection working person has ( perfect or not). The Corporations are paying lobbyists to get the votes of Repubs like Mr. Rich/Rehberg, and the average American has very little clout/money to promote their voices and causes. Until the system is revamped and the electoral process is tweaked to allow the working people/and middle class to have a voice, we are going to be distanced and disconnected from most Congressional Clowns.. It's sad, but true. Anyone who must get up in the morning and go to work to survive and pay their bills should take heed and try to change this corrupt electoral system that is tweaked at the local level to favor the powerful and the rich. Healthcare is a right because without good health we as a Nation are doomed. Our children are getting fatter, our incomes are getting smaller and the Corporations keep getting richer! What the heck is going on here. Look at the Wealth in Congress, check out their pay and income list and you will see what is going on here. We couldn't afford to run for Congress. Those who can afford to run are in control. Nice system.

[Danilo Gurovich]

06:52 AM on 04/04/2011

I think that Oil and Farm Subsidies are the Welfare of the 21st Century.

[Gregor53]

08:12 AM on 04/04/2011

Sorry, I did not see your farm reference before I put in my comment.  Faved