What could have resulted in major budget cuts for higher education may become a financial windfall.
The U.S. Senate proposed $1.2 billion in cuts for educational funding this year, but has now amended its budget proposal to allocate $7 billion to various educational, labor and health programs in addition.
That money could benefit federal student-aid programs, according to the State Public Interest Research Group Higher Education Project, an organization that aims to make college more affordable.
Penn Financial Aid Director Bill Schilling said that the amendment alleviates concerns about the proposed cuts.
"It certainly makes us more optimistic that programs will be at least maintained," he said.
However, Schilling said that because the amendment does not direct money to specific programs, he cannot predict how it might affect Penn students.
Congress as a whole has not yet finalized its budget.
The modified budget passed in the Senate on Thursday by a margin of two votes, while the amendment was ratified 73-27.
PIRG Higher Education Associate Luke Swarthout said that the group applauds the amendment "for restoring cuts to critical student-aid programs. Unfortunately, [the Senate fiscal] budget failed to provide for a rapidly growing need for grant aid among American college students."
The approval of the $7 billion Specter-Harkin amendment followed last Tuesday's rejection of an amendment that would have increased federal student aid, Swarthout said.
Stephanie Giesecke, budget director for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, said that, while approval of both amendments would have been best, the Specter-Harkin legislation marks "a huge victory" for student aid.
The rejected amendment "was a missed opportunity for Congress to address the significant issue of access and affordability," Swarthout said. "Constraining the conversation to cuts or no cuts misses the broader issue facing millions of American students."
Federal need-based student aid -- which the rejected bill would have boosted -- needs to be augmented because of rising college costs and inflation, Swarthout added.
Taking out loans and working long hours to pay for college "has serious consequences for out nation's students," he added.
The House of Representatives' fiscal 2007 budget has not yet been introduced, and Schilling says he hopes to see increased educational funding from the House as well.
Both Giesecke and Swarthout stressed that college students should urge their representatives to uphold the amendment in Congress's final budget.
Giesecke could not say whether she thinks the amendment will pass in the final congressional budget but said her that her organization will work to see that it does.
Swarthout said that the same is true for his group. "The fight is still ongoing," he said.
