March 23, 2016

Rep. Salmon Introduces Pell for Performance Act

Encourages students receiving government Pell Grants to complete college

Washington, D.C. — Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) today released the following statement after introducing the Pell for Performance Act.

“The American people are extremely generous when it comes to education funding.  However, the sad truth is that even after six years, many students don’t complete their degree program.  The result of this is essentially a squandered investment, with the U.S. taxpayer on the hook for billions of dollars in financial aid grants given to students who never earned a degree.  This has to stop.

“Our education funding policy needs to be revised to incentivize the completion of a college degree, not simply one’s college attendance.  My bill would encourage Pell Grant recipients to finish their degrees in 150% of the published time, or the grants would convert to loans that the students would repay to the taxpayer.”

Taxpayers have paid over $300 billion in Pell Grants since 2000.  An August 2015 Hechinger Report analysis of graduation rate data for Pell recipients “suggests that billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded Pell Grants nationwide go to students who never earn degrees”.