Washington Insider Supports Ryan Plan To Make Higher Education More Expensive for Wisconsin Families
Tommy Thompson and Paul Ryan will soon “have the time” to explain to Wisconsin voters their plan to cut taxes for millionaires like Mitt Romney while cutting investments in education.
Today it was announced that Ryan would raise money for Thompson on October 14 in Wisconsin.
“Tommy Thompson supports the Congressional Republican plan to cut taxes for millionaires like himself while cutting our investment in education,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Tuesday. “If ever there was proof that Tommy is in it for Tommy, this is it. Instead of supporting investments in education, Thompson would cut college aid and make it more expensive for young people in Wisconsin.”
BACKGROUND
THE RYAN PLAN WOULD “DEEPLY UNDERMINE” EDUCATION
The Ryan Budget Would Slash Investments In Education, Pell Grants. According to the Center for American Progress, the House Republican budget slashes investments in education, infrastructure, and basic research, all of which are key drivers of economic growth and mobility. The budget slashes the Pell Grant program, which would deprive thousands of Americans access to college based on a misunderstanding of academic scholarship. The House budget plan proposes to cut Pell funding and refocus the program on “truly needy” students. [Center for American Progress, 3/21/12]
The Ryan Plan Would Make Deep Cuts To Education And Training Programs. The Republican Budget would drastically hurt education and training programs. Investments in education and training programs would fall from the current amount of $426 per person to $223 per person in 2022. These devastating cuts would “mean fewer people will have access to the education and skills training they need to fuel economic productivity and compete for good, secure jobs in labor market.” [Center for American Progress, 3/20/12]
Ryan’s Plan Would Cut Critical Education Programs And “Deeply Undermine K-12 Education.” The Office of Management and Budget reported: “The Department of Education would be cut by more than $115 billion over a decade. 9.6 million students would see their Pell Grants fall by more than $1000 in 2014, and, over the next decade, over one million students would lose support altogether. This would derail bipartisan education reforms and deeply undermine K-12 education and college opportunity… Roughly two million slots in Head Start would be eliminated over the next decade — cutting 200,000 children from the program in 2014 alone.” [OMB, 3/21/12]
The Ryan Plan Would Cut The Department Of Education By More Than $115 Billion. The Republican Budget would hurt make it harder for American families to send their kids to college. “The Department of Education would be cut by more than $115 billion over a decade. 9.6 million students would see their Pell Grants fall by more than $1000 in 2014, and, over the next decade, over one million students would lose support altogether.” [OMB, 3/21/12]
The Ryan Plan Cuts Education And Training By 48 Percent Per Capita. In March 2012, the Center for American Progress reported: “But compared to 2010 levels—before conservative cuts began to bite into public investments—Rep. Ryan’s plan disinvests in America by cutting: Education and training investment per capita by 48 percent.” [Center for American Progress, 3/20/2012]
THE RYAN PLAN: MAKING COLLEGE LESS AFFORDABLE FOR MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES
PELL GRANTS
Over 100,000 Wisconsinites Rely On Pell Grants To Afford College. During the 2009-2010 school year, 106,179 students in Wisconsin used Pell Grants to help finance their education. [2009-2010 Federal Pell Grant Program End-of-Year Report, http://www2.ed.gov/
The Ryan Budget Would Slash Funding For Pell Grants. The Ryan budget slashes the Pell Grant program, which would deprive thousands of Americans access to college based on a misunderstanding of academic scholarship. The House budget plan proposes to cut Pell funding and refocus the program on “truly needy” students. [Center for American Progress, 3/21/12]
Ryan’s Plan Would Strip Pell Grants From One Million Students. The Office of Management and Budget reported: “The Department of Education would be cut by more than $115 billion over a decade. 9.6 million students would see their Pell Grants fall by more than $1000 in 2014, and, over the next decade, over one million students would lose support altogether.” [OMB, 3/21/12]
The Ryan Plan Would Cut $170 Billion From Pell Grants. In March 2012, the Huffington Post reported: “The plan proposed by Ryan (R-Wis.), who chairs the House Budget Committee, would chop away at Pell grant eligibility, thereby reducing total Pell grants by about $170 billion over the next decade.” [Huffington Post, 3/27/2012]
Ryan’s Budget Cuts $41 million And 5,745 Recipients From Pell Grant Funding In Wisconsin. Ryan’s plan cuts $41 million in federal Pell Grant funding from Wisconsin compared to President Obama’s budget along with dropping 5,745 recipients and cutting the average award by $165. [Democratic Policy and Communications Memo, democrats.senate.gov/
Ryan’s Cuts To Pell Grant Funding Would Hit Poor Students The Hardest. The Huffington Post reported: “The budget would cut Pell grant eligibility for students who attend classes on a less-than-halftime schedule — which usually means low-income students who need to work their way through college.” [Huffington Post, 3/27/2012]
WORK STUDY
The Ryan Plan Would Eliminate Work Study For 166,000 College Students. By 2014, a 19% reduction would reduce Work Sudy funding almost $185 million below the 2012 level, denying Work Study jobs to more than 166,000 needy students. [Congressional Black Caucus, http://cdn.
Wisconsin Would Have 3,102 Dropped Recipients and $3,387,103 In Cuts To Work Study Programs. A 19% reduction in Work Study funding would cut 3,102 Work Study positions for Wisconsin’s students along with $3,387,103 in funding levels. [Budget Service, 3/27/2012]
CUTTING CRITICAL INVESTMENTS IN OUR FUTURE
Ryan’s Budget Would Cut $871 Billion From Education, Skills Training, Research And Development, And Infrastructure Investment. In March 2012, the Center for America Progress reported: “Worse, the Ryan budget will rob Americans of future economic opportunities by slashing more than $871 billion of investment in education and skills training, science and technology research and development, and transportation infrastructure in the decade between 2013 and 2022.” [Center for American Progress, 3/20/2012]
The Ryan Plan Would Cut Per Capita Education And Job Training By 48 Percent. In March 2012, the Center for American Progress reported: “The Ryan budget cuts per capita investment in education and training by 48 percent, cutting from a current level of $426 per person to a mere $223 per person by 2022. […] These cuts also would take away resources from programs that help American workers to achieve higher skills and better opportunities by promoting adult education and literacy, career and technical education.
