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ASM vows to fight financial aid cuts

The Associated Students of Madison announced plans to continue lobbying efforts against a federal bill that threatens to cut funding for student loans at a press conference Monday.

The Republican-supported bill already passed through the House of Representatives last Friday and now will move on to the Senate for approval.

As part of a larger budget-cut bill that could potentially curb spending on federal benefit programs — such as Medicaid and food stamps — by more than $50 billion, ASM representatives said the "budget reconciliation" bill would make $14.3 billion worth of cuts to federal student loan programs.

ASM spoke harshly of the legislation, claiming the cuts enacted by the bill will lead to increased student debt and will severely limit access to higher education for people from low-income families.

"There's no positive side to saying some people won't be able to go to college and not seek higher education, even though they've proven their ability to get into an institution, [and] even though they've proven their ability to do well and be successful," ASM Finance Chair Jennifer Knox said. "[This bill] is saying, 'if you can't afford it, you can't go to college; only the people who have the money in this country can.'"

ASM representatives said the bill's cuts to student loans would raise the average student debt in Wisconsin by more than $5,400 through various loan fees and interest.

Meanwhile, representatives added it would take away students' ability to consolidate their debt while in school.

"Many students can barely manage their current loan debt and increasing the typical student's loan debt will only make students suffer," ASM Legislative Affairs Intern David Wimmer said. "It's clear that student expenses will increase drastically with this passage."

Supporters of the bill, though, say the cuts will greatly reduce a federal budget deficit that has increased in the wake of hurricane relief efforts.

In response to an ASM letter calling for Wisconsin representatives' support against the bill, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis., wrote that he believed the budget bill would cap much of the spending by the federal government, according to Knox.

While admitting the U.S. is facing an enormous budget deficit and that some caps on spending are necessary, ASM representatives said it should not come at the expense of limiting access to the nation's universities.

"We're definitely in a deficit and there are areas where spending may need to be pulled," Knox said. "But, there's no positive side of decreasing access to education."

Knox added ASM would continue to try to sway support against the bill through letter writing and phone call campaigns, as well as attempting to schedule meetings with individual Wisconsin representatives.

ASM representatives called on all students to join in their efforts.

"We don't want people to feel like this is the end," Knox said. "There are many ways [students] can get involved, by calling [their] representatives, by faxing them, by going and lobbying them, doing whatever [they] can. There's a role for everyone to play."