Pell Grants Best for Buying Votes

Neal McCluskey:

Quite simply, Pell Grants are not supposed to be for the middle class. As the U.S. Department of Education's website makes clear, Pell is supposed to be for "low-income undergraduate and certain postbaccalaureate students."

So why characterize Pell as a benefit for the middle class? Because lots of people consider themselves to be in that group -- which federal politicians rarely define -- and policymakers want their votes.

Unfortunately, as Rep. George Miller (D-CA) recently demonstrated, saying Pell is intended for the middle class also makes it a valuable weapon in waging class warfare.

"Pell is the reason they are able to go to college and get ahead," Miller said in response to congressional Republicans purportedly looking to trim the program as part of debt reduction. "It's a shameful excuse and an attack on middle class families."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at August 15, 2011 1:16 AM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas