Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, released a statement on Republicans plan to raise costs for students and make it harder for them to find good-paying jobs.

“Not only are Trump and his Republican friends in Congress trying to take away Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, they are now making draconian cuts to grants that support education for low-income and middle-class students. Families are struggling to make ends meet, and Trump’s only solution is to take funding away from working families and give their hard-earned money to his billionaire friends," said Congressman Donald Norcross. "By cutting the Pell Grant program that helps lower-income students afford college, eliminating an income-driven repayment program for student loans, and repealing regulations that are designed to protect students, Trump and House Republicans are doing everything they can to make education and good-paying jobs less accessible for American families.”

Republicans plan to raise costs for students and make it harder for them to find good-paying jobs includes:

  • Cuts to Pell Grant eligibility by setting full-time attendance as 30 credits per year instead of 12 per semester – which would decrease the average Pell awards by 20%.
  • Eliminating an income-driven student loan repayment program.
  • Repealing regulations designed to protect students, including:
    • The bipartisan 90/10 regulation, which prevents for-profit colleges from duping veterans out of their hard fought GI bill benefits.
    • The Borrower Defense regulation, which provides student loan relief for millions of borrowers defrauded by their schools.
    • The Closed School Discharge regulation, which provides loan relief for students whose institutions closed before they completed their programs. 

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