The 2006 Bush Budget

The 2006 Bush Budget: Breaks Promises, Targets Tax Increases onto College Students, Forces Students to Pay More for College

- President Bush shortchanges education for the fourth year in a row and cuts education funding. With his first budget of his second term, President Bush proposes to cut funding for the Department of Education by $530 million, despite increasing college costs and the challenging academic requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act. President Bush also eliminates dozens of key programs, reducing the Federal investment in education by over $4.2 billion. [House Education and the Workforce Democratic Caucus, 2/7/05]

- President Bush breaks promise on Pell Scholarships again falling nearly $1,000 short of his $5,100 pledge. President Bush's Budget breaks his promise to provide a $5,100 Pell scholarship, only increasing the maximum Pell by $100 this year, falling nearly $1,000 short of his promise to students. [House Education and the Workforce Democratic Caucus, 2/7/05]

- President Bush forces millions of low and middle-income students to pay thousands more for their college loans. The Bush budget eliminates the current low fixed consolidation rate benefit. According to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), this change will force the typical student borrower to pay $5,500 more for his college loans. [House Education and the Workforce Democratic Caucus, 2/7/05]

- The Bush budget jeopardizes college attendance for more than 1 million students, while increasing the cost of college for teachers, military service members and law enforcement officers. The President's FY 06 budget eliminates the GEAR UP, Talent Search and Upward Bound programs, which ensure that millions of high risk students succeed in high school and move on to college. In addition, despite skyrocketing loan debt President Bush abolishes loan forgiveness for teachers, military service members and law enforcement officers by eliminating the Perkins Loan cancellation program. [House Education and the Workforce Democratic Caucus, 2/7/05]

- President Bush raises taxes on college students. The Bush Budget forces a tax on student loans that would charge students billions in additional taxes over the next ten years. [House Education and the Workforce Democratic Caucus, 2/7/05]

- President Bush eliminates vocational education funding, destroying innovative career and technical education programs for students attending high school and community college. The Bush Budget would eliminate the $1.3 billion vocational education program cutting off a pipeline to job opportunities in emerging fields such as telecommunications and health care for millions of students. The FY 06 Budget Request brings the total amount that President Bush has proposed to cut from job training and vocational education programs since he took office to $3.35 billion. [House Education and the Workforce Democratic Caucus, 2/7/05]

--Maryville College Democrats