2018: Schweikert Voted Against The $1.3 Trillion FY 2018 Omnibus Spending Deal Which Raised Spending By $138 Billion Over FY 2017 Levels, Including Raising Pell Grants To $6,095 For FY 2018. In March 2018, Schweikert voted against the FY 2018 Omnibus spending bill. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Combined, the spending measures would provide about $1.3 trillion in discretionary spending, with $1.2 trillion subject to discretionary spending caps, and $78.1 billion designated as Overseas Contingency Operations funds. The measure's spending levels are consistent with the increased defense and non-defense budget caps set by the two-year budget deal agreed to last month. That agreement increased the FY 2018 defense cap by $80 billion and the non-defense cap by $63 billion. Given that the previous caps were set to reduce overall discretionary spending by $5 billion, the net increase provided by the omnibus is $138 billion over the FY 2017 level." The vote was on the motion to concur in the Senate Amendment with an Amendment. The House agreed to the motion, thereby passing the bill, by a vote of 256 to 167. The Senate later agreed to the legislation, sending it to the president, who signed it into law. [House Vote 127, 3/22/18; Congressional Quarterly, 3/22/18; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1625]
2015: Schweikert Voted Against The FY 2016 Conference Report Budget Resolution, Which Provided $523 Billion In Discretionary Defense Spending And Eliminated Guaranteed Funding For Pell Grants. In April 2015, Schweikert voted against the FY 2016 Conference Report budget resolution which, according to Congressional Quarterly, "reflects the current post-sequester caps on discretionary spending - $523 billion for defense and $493.5 billion for non-defense programs in fiscal 2016. Raising the caps would require a change in law." According to the Washington Post, "Tucked into the spending plan is the elimination of guaranteed funding for Pell Grants, which provide money for the country's poorest students to attend college. Under the Republican plan, it would be up to Congress' discretion to fund the program every year, leaving families vulnerable to future budget cuts." The vote was on the Conference Report; the Conference Report passed by a vote of 226 to 197. The Senate also passed the budget resolution. [House Vote 183, 4/30/15; Congressional Quarterly, 5/5/15; Washington Post, 5/7/15; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 11]
Under Current Law, A Portion Of Pell Grant Funding Is Mandatory. According to the Washington Post, "The way it works now, a portion of the funding for Pell is mandatory and another portion is discretionary. If the mandatory money is cut, there is no guarantee that Congress would use its discretion to pick up the costs, which could result in the maximum award declining by 15 percent, according to the Committee for Education Funding, an advocacy group." [Washington Post, 5/7/15]
No Explicit Language In The Resolution Specifying Which Programs Will Be Put In Education. According to the Washington Post, "There is no explicit language in the budget resolution calling for cuts to other higher education programs, but there is a broad reduction of mandatory spending that will impact such programs." [Washington Post, 5/7/15]
Nine Million Students Participated In The Pell Grant Program In 2013-2014; At Current College Costs, Only Cover About One Third Of Costs. According to the Washington Post, "Nine million students participated in the $33.7 billion Pell Grant program in the 2013-2014 school year. Although the program is currently running a surplus, that is expected to dry up by 2017. Even at its current level, with maximum awards topping $5,775 per school year, Pell barely covers a third of the cost of college, according to the the [sic] Institute for the College Access and Success (TICAS)." [Washington Post, 5/7/15]
2015: Schweikert Voted Against The FY 2016 Budget Resolution Which Suggests Freezing The Current Maximum Pell Grant Award For 10 Years And Eliminating Eligibility For Less Than Half Time Students. In March 2015, Schweikert voted against the FY 2016 budget resolution which calls for making numerous changes to the Pell Grant program. According to Congressional Quarterly, the resolution, "suggests a number of changes to the Pell Grant program, including freezing the current maximum award for 10 years, rolling back recent expansions of eligibility 'to ensure aid is targeted to the truly needy,' considering a maximum income cap, eliminating eligibility for less-than-half-time students, increasing the amount of time a student must attend class in order to withdraw without debt owed for back assistance and eliminating administrative fees paid to participating schools. It proposes to prohibit colleges from using a portion of federal aid for administrative purposes." The vote was on the budget resolution. The House passed the resolution 228 to 199. The budget resolution died in the Senate, but a similar concurrent resolution did pass both Houses. [House Vote 142, 3/25/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/23/15; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 11; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 27]
2015: Schweikert Voted Against A FY 2016 Budget Resolution Which Suggests Freezing The Current Maximum Pell Grant Award For 10 Years And Eliminating Eligibility For Less Than Half Time Students. In March 2015, Schweikert voted against a FY 2016 Budget Resolution which calls for making numerous changes to the Pell Grant program. According to Congressional Quarterly, the resolution, "suggests a number of changes to the Pell Grant program, including freezing the current maximum award for 10 years, rolling back recent expansions of eligibility 'to ensure aid is targeted to the truly needy,' considering a maximum income cap, eliminating eligibility for less-than-half-time students, increasing the amount of time a student must attend class in order to withdraw without debt owed for back assistance and eliminating administrative fees paid to participating schools. It proposes to prohibit colleges from using a portion of federal aid for administrative purposes." The vote was on the adopting the substitute amendment. The House passed the amendment 219 to 208 and later passed the budget resolution. The budget resolution died in the Senate, but a similar concurrent resolution did pass both Houses. [House Vote 141, 3/25/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/23/15; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 11; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 86; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 27]
2015: Schweikert Voted For A FY 2016 Budget Resolution Which Suggests Freezing The Current Maximum Pell Grant Award For 10 Years And Eliminating Eligibility For Less Than Half Time Students. In March 2015, Schweikert voted for a FY 2016 Budget Resolution which calls for making numerous changes to the Pell Grant program. According to Congressional Quarterly, the resolution, "suggests a number of changes to the Pell Grant program, including freezing the current maximum award for 10 years, rolling back recent expansions of eligibility 'to ensure aid is targeted to the truly needy,' considering a maximum income cap, eliminating eligibility for less-than-half-time students, increasing the amount of time a student must attend class in order to withdraw without debt owed for back assistance and eliminating administrative fees paid to participating schools. It proposes to prohibit colleges from using a portion of federal aid for administrative purposes." The vote was on the adopting the substitute amendment. The House rejected the amendment 105 to 319. The House later adopted a substitute amendment identical to this except for a change in defense spending and then later passed the budget resolution. The budget resolution died in the Senate, but a similar concurrent resolution did pass both Houses. [House Vote 140, 3/25/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/23/15; Congressional Quarterly, 3/30/15; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 11; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 85; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 27]
2015: Schweikert Voted To Institute The Chained CPI Which Would Result In A Reduced Maximum Eligibility For Pell Grants As Part Of The FY 2016 Republican Study Committee Budget Resolution. In March 2015, Schweikert voted for instituting the Chained-CPI. According to the Republican Study Committee, "This budget proposes to begin using the more accurate measure for inflation, chained CPI, saving the taxpayers $220 billion in total over the next ten years." The underlying budget resolution would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "provide[d] for $2.804 trillion in new budget authority in fiscal 2016, not including off-budget accounts. The substitute would call for reducing spending by $7.1 trillion over 10 years compared to the Congressional Budget Office baseline." The vote was on the substitute amendment to a Budget Resolution. The House rejected the amendment by a vote of 132 to 294. [House Vote 138, 3/25/15; Republican Study Committee, FY 2016 Budget; Congressional Quarterly, 3/25/15; Congress.gov, H. Amdt. 83; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 27]
2014: Schweikert Voted To Require Students Who Receive Pell Grants Are Given Certain Financial Management Counseling. In July 2014, Schweikert voted for an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "require[d] that students receiving Pell Grants be informed of the financial management resources provided by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission." The underlying legislation was the Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act. The vote was on the amendment. The House adopted the amendment by a vote of 404 to 14. The House later passed the underlying bill, but the Senate took no substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 444, 7/24/14; Congressional Quarterly, 7/24/14; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 1117; Congressional Actions, H.R. 4984]
2019: Schweikert Voted Against The FY 2020 Minibus Appropriations Bill, Which Increased The Maximum Pell Grant Award By $150. In December 2019, Schweikert voted against the FY 2020 minibus spending bill, which represented 8 of the 12 appropriations bills. According to Congressional Quarterly, the bill "provides $24.5 billion for federal student aid programs ($75 million more than FY 2019 and $1.5 billion more than requested), which would allow for an increase of $150 in the maximum Pell Grant, to $6,345." The vote was a motion to concur in the Senate amendment. The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 297-120. The Senate later passed the bill and the President signed the bill into law. [House Vote 689, 12/17/19; Congressional Quarterly, 12/17/19; Congressional Actions, H.R.1865]
2018: Schweikert Voted For An FY 2019 Conference Report Minibus Spending Bill And Continuing Resolution That Appropriated $22.4 Billion For Pell Grants. In September 2018, Schweikert voted for an FY 2019 Labor, HHS, Education, and Defense minibus spending bill conference report. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Adoption of the conference report on the bill that would provide $855.1 billion in discretionary funding for fiscal 2019 to various departments and agencies, including $674.4 billion for the Defense Department and $178.1 billion for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education departments. The Defense Department total would include $606.5 billion in base Defense Department funding subject to spending caps, and would include $67.9 billion in overseas contingency operations funding. The bill would provide $90.3 billion in discretionary spending for the Health and Human Services Department, $71.4 billion for the Education Department and $12.1 billion for the Labor Department. The measure would also provide funding for federal government operations until Dec. 7, 2018, at an annualized rate of approximately $1.3 trillion." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 361 to 61. The president later signed the bill into law. [House Vote 405, 9/26/18; Congressional Quarterly, 9/26/18; Congressional Actions, H.R. 6157]
2014: Schweikert Voted To Freeze Maximum Pell Grants At 2013-2014 Levels For The Next 10 Years, As Part Of Rep. Paul Ryan's Budget Proposal. In April 2014, Schweikert voted for freezing the maximum Pell Grant award level for the next 10 years, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2015 to 2024. According to the House Budget Committee Fiscal Year 2015 "Path to Prosperity," "Reforms are necessary to enable the [Pell Grant] program to continue helping low-income students gain access to higher education. The budget recommends the following: [...] Adopt a sustainable maximum-award level. The Department of Education attributed 25 percent of recent program growth to the $619 increase in the maximum award done in the stimulus bill that took effect in the 2009-10 academic year. To get program costs back to a sustainable level, the budget recommends maintaining the maximum award for the 2013-2014 award year of $5,730 in each year of the budget window. This award would be fully funded through discretionary spending." The House adopted the budget resolution by a vote of 219 to 205, but the Senate did not. [House Vote 177, 4/10/14; House Budget Committee, 4/1/14; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 96]
2014: Schweikert Voted To Deny Pell Grants To Students Attending School Less Than Half-Time In Favor Of Students "With A Larger Commitment To Their Education," As Part Of Rep. Paul Ryan's Budget Proposal. In April 2014, Schweikert voted for House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2015 to 2024, which, according to the House Budget Committee's Fiscal Year 2015 "Path to Prosperity," "recommend[ed] [...] [e]liminat[ing] eligibility for less-than-half-time students. Funding should be reserved for students with a larger commitment to their education." The House adopted the budget resolution by a vote of 219 to 205. [House Vote 177, 4/10/14; House Budget Committee, 4/1/14; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 96]
2014: Schweikert Voted To Cut $93 Billion From Pell Grants By Eliminating The Mandatory "Add-On" Funding For Them. In April 2014, Schweikert voted for the Republican Study Committee's proposed budget resolution for fiscal years 2015 to 2024. According to the Republican Study Committee, "The Pell Grant program is the largest federal program that supports low-income undergraduate students, assisting about 9 million students per year. According to the Congressional Budget Office, studies have shown that schools have responded to the increases in the size of Pell grants by raising tuition or shifting aid to other students. This budget proposes eliminating the 'addon' funding for the Pell Grant program that [sic] created by the 2009 failed stimulus spending bill [sic: the 2010 Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act], saving $93 billion over ten years." According to the Congressional Budget Office, "Pell grants are funded through a combination of discretionary spending (which must be appropriated by the Congress every year) and mandatory spending (which is authorized in law permanently). Awards for this academic year [2013-2014] will be based on a maximum grant of $4,860 set in appropriations and a $785 'add-on' based on mandatory funding; the sum of those figures is the overall maximum grant of $5,645." The House considered the RSC budget as a substitute amendment to House Republicans' FY 2015 budget resolution; the amendment was rejected by a vote of 133 to 291. [House Vote 175, 4/10/14; Republican Study Committee, 4/7/14; Congressional Budget Office, 11/13/13; New America Foundation, 4/24/14; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 615; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 96]
2013: Schweikert Voted For Freezing Pell Grants At 2012-2013 Levels For The Next 10 Years As Part Of The FY 2014 Ryan Budget. In March 2013, Schweikert voted for cutting spending on Pell Grants, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2014 to 2023. According to the House Budget Committee, "The Department of Education attributed 25 percent of recent program growth to the $619 increase in the maximum award enacted in the stimulus bill that took effect in the 2009--10 academic year. To get program costs back to a sustainable level, the budget recommends maintaining the maximum award for the 2012--2013 award year of $5,645 in each year of the budget window." The resolution passed the House by a vote of 221 to 207, but died in the Senate. [House Vote 88, 3/21/13; House Budget Committee, 3/12/13]
2013: Schweikert Voted To Cut Spending On Pell Grants. In March 2013, Schweikert voted to support considering cutting spending on Pell Grants, as part of the Republican Study Committee's proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2014 to 2023. According to the Republican Study Committee, "This budget eliminates the mandatory add on for Pell Grants, which helps curb concerns that increases in Pell Grants lead to higher tuition and less opportunity for those most in need. This saves $106 billion over ten years." The vote was on an amendment to the House budget resolution replacing the entire budget with the RSC's proposed budget; the amendment failed by a vote of 104 to 132 with 171 Democrats voting present. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Repeating a strategy from last year, 171 Democrats voted "present" to push Republicans to vote against the RSC plan to make sure it did not have enough support to replace the Ryan plan." [House Vote 86, 3/21/13; Republican Study Committee, 3/18/13; Congressional Quarterly, 3/25/13; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 35; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 25]