July 20, 2007

 Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today after the Senate passed the Higher Education Access Act in a bipartisan fashion, 78-18:

“Senate Democrats continue to fulfill our promise of putting working families first and making higher education affordable for more Americans.  The Higher Education Access Act increases grant aid and college access for low-income students, simplifies the financial aid process and makes the student loan system work for students, not the banks.

“As tuition costs outpace inflation and income, more and more working Americans are priced out of the promise of a college education – an increasingly important key to success in today’s global economy.  But in passing this bipartisan bill, the Senate is sending the President an opportunity to provide $17 billion in additional college aid to students – the largest increase since the G.I. bill.  There are few things more important to our nation’s future than opening the door to a college education for millions of students and unlocking all the opportunity it affords.”

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