Baucus Stands Up for Montana Students, Jobs

Press Release

Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus joined Miles Community College (MCC) students and faculty today to rally support for tuition assistance that is critical for Montana students to afford higher education and land good-paying jobs. Baucus has opposed extreme cuts to Pell Grants, which support 20,000 Montana students. Instead Baucus supports cutting federal waste in programs like NASA and foreign aid.

"We need to be aggressive about solving our debt crisis, and we need to be smart. We need to cut government waste, and we need to invest in growing our economy. The students we met in Miles City today, and students all across Montana, are smart investments. They are nurses, mechanics and small business owners. They are working hard and learning valuable skills to land good-paying jobs right here in Montana," Baucus said. "I'll continue tightening the belt on Uncle Sam to get us back on the path toward fiscal responsibility, and I'll continue standing up for smart investments in Montana jobs and economic security."

MCC president Stefani Hicswa joined Baucus in standing up for Montana students today.

"We appreciate Senator Baucus' tireless work to ensure the future of all Montanans. Cutting funding for the Pell Grant program will mean fewer students accessing higher education opportunities, because they simply cannot afford to attend college," Hicswa said. "As a high school senior my counselor told me that college was not an option because my parents would not be able to afford it. Once I found out about Pell Grants, I knew that I would be able to actualize my dreams of going to college. I now have the opportunity as the President of Miles Community College to help students actualize their dreams, but without the continued support of the Pell program, students will not have the option to attend college."

The U.S. House of Representatives has proposed cutting the Pell Grant Program by more than $5.7 billion. At MCC alone, nearly 90 percent of students receive financial aid. Nearly half of those students are eligible for Pell Grants. MCC also has an 89 percent job placement rate - meaning nearly all MCC student have jobs in Montana when they graduate.

Baucus is holding events across Montana this week to stand up for smart investments in Montana jobs and communities while cutting spending and reducing government waste. Tomorrow Baucus will be in Laurel to stand up for Montana law enforcement and Livingston to stand up for infrastructure construction projects.

Last week Baucus voted to cut an additional $6 billion in federal spending on top of $4 billion in cuts earlier this month. Baucus has stood up for rural priorities including: Medicare, Community Health Centers, Social Security, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund, in addition to tuition assistance, law enforcement and infrastructure construction, which he is highlighting this week.

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