Press Releases

Today, CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC), House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) hosted a student roundtable at Howard University where they discussed sequestration and the disproportionate impact arbitrary cuts will have on minority communities, particularly to Pell Grant funding and student financial aid. 

Remarks by CBC Chairman Butterfield, as prepared for delivery, follow:

Federal Student Aid and the Disproportionate Impact of Federal Budget Cuts

The Sequester

This is a collaborative effort by the Congressional Black Caucus, the Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, and the leadership here at Howard University.

This roundtable is designed to take a closer look at how federal budget sequestration directly impacts you, student financial aid, particularly Pell Grant funding, and its potential to impede hundreds of thousands of students across the country that rely on federal government funding to obtain a higher education.

Sequestration puts into place automatic across-the-board federal budget cuts which amount to cuts of nearly $3 billion to our nation’s education funding.

Sequestration would cut jobs in education by reducing funding for teachers and staff, decrease funding for student services such as work-study programs that assist families with paying for college, and would dramatically slash financial aid, specifically Pell Grants.  Nearly 46 percent of African American undergraduate students use Pell Grants to cover college tuition.

The sequester will immediately impact you, and that’s why we are here today.  Overall, Sequestration will have a negative impact on the future of education and our ability to develop a skilled workforce that is ready to compete in a global economy.  

Consider the following:

•           More than 50 percent of African American and 40 percent of Latino college students rely on Pell Grants.

•           In 2008, 155,000 Pell recipients were enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

•           Also in 2008, 90 percent of students at just eight HBCUs received Pell grants and 80 percent of students at17 of our nation’s HBCUs received Pell Grants.

Some of our colleagues in Congress have an unrealistic and unworkable budget that will decimate funding at precisely the point when we need greater investment.  Future generations and their ability to access educational opportunities are simply the last place these cuts should be made.  It is morally wrong to suggest we ask our students to carry the burden of deficit reduction.  You and the students who follow deserve better.

The CBC has long emphasized our commitment to making education accessible for every American, especially minority and African American students.  Our goal is to increase opportunities for our students through significant and sustained investments in education, and sequestration is not the answer! 

During today’s discussion, we will hear from members of the Democratic Leadership and CBC members who serve on the Budget Committee.  We encourage each of you to speak up and ask questions about the issues that are important to you, and voice your concerns on how the sequester will impact you and your families so we are better equipped to find effective solutions to minimize the impact. 

Thank you.

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Since its establishment in 1971, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have joined together to empower America’s neglected citizens and address their legislative concerns. For more than 40 years, the CBC has consistently been the voice for people of color and vulnerable communities in Congress and has been committed to utilizing the full Constitutional power and statutory authority of the United States government to ensure that all U.S. citizens have an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. To learn more about the Congressional Black Caucus, visit http://cbc-butterfield.house.gov.

Media inquiries: Candace Randle Person at (202) 593-1331 or Candace.Randle@mail.house.gov