Pell Grants, Head Start and Other Programs in Danger

In August, we exhaled a collective sigh of relief when Pell escaped the budget ax. We won that fight, but the next battle is on the horizon—and it’s even bigger.

As part of last month’s deal, a “super committee” of House and Senate members was tasked with reducing the federal budget by at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years. That means that a host of programs that help low-income and working-class Americans, from Head Start to Pell, are threatened.

It could mean that the child in Florida who loses access to Head Start will miss out on early learning opportunities that will prepare her for kindergarten.

It could mean that the family in Oregon that relies on a federal housing program will wind up homeless.

It could mean that a student in Indiana goes to school hungry because his family’s food stamps are cut.

Take action now: Tell your senators and your representative that America cannot afford to take the most from those who have the least. During these negotiations, they must raise revenue, not just cut programs for the poor.