Rep. Ron Kind holds listening session on college affordability plans
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT)- Congressman Ron Kind is hearing from students and others about making college more affordable and lowering student loan debt.
Kind held a listening session Wednesday on the Western Technical College Campus.
He also unveiled his higher education affordability action plan.
It includes four main points:
- Address 1.4 trillion in student loan debt
- Expand work study programs
- Try to boost Pell grants
- Protect TRIO and Gear Up programs which help low-income students transition into college
Kind says President Trump’s proposed education budget makes cuts to all of these programs.
“If you want to beat China, you don’t beat them with a unilateral trade war, you beat them by investing in education and basic research and infrastructure and scientific discovering so we remain on the cutting edge of new discoveries, of innovation, of creativity,” said Rep. Kind.
Kind says the higher education bill is up for reauthorization in Congress this year so many of these programs will be looked at more closely over the next several months.
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