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Summary:
The dream of a college education is being priced out of reach for more and more American students and their families. Tuition is rising while wages are flat or sinking. Conservatives in Congress have responded by cutting $12 billion from federal student loan programs and raising loan interest rates for student and their parents. Conservatives in state governments have cut back funding for colleges, passing more costs to families in the form of increased tuitions and fees. See below to find out how your representative voted.
The dream of a college education is being priced out of reach for more and more American students and their families. Tuition is rising while wages are flat or sinking. Conservatives in Congress have responded by cutting $12 billion from federal student loan programs and raising loan interest rates for student and their parents. Conservatives in state governments have cut back funding for colleges, passing more costs to families in the form of increased tuitions and fees. See below to find out how your representative voted.
Read state-specific reports to see the impacts in your state » [1]
See how your Representative voted » [2]
Voting Scorecard: U.S. Senate (109th Congress)
Education Funding
| Senator Name | State | Party | Stop the $12 Billion Cut to Student Loans (S.1932)
1 |
Increase Funding of Pell Grants by $5.4 Billion (S.CON. RES. 83 / S. AMDT.177)
2 |
Increase Grant Funding by $6 billion (S.CON.RES. 83 / AMDT. 3028)
3 |
Increase Grant Funding (S.CON. RES.83 / S. AMDT.3048)
4 |
Grade |
| Sessions, Jeff | Alabama | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Shelby, Richard C. | Alabama | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Murkowski, Lisa | Alaska | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Stevens, Ted | Alaska | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Kyl, Jon | Arizona | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| McCain, John | Arizona | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Lincoln, Blanche L. | Arkansas | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Pryor, Mark L. | Arkansas | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Boxer, Barbara | California | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Feinstein, Dianne | California | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Allard, Wayne | Colorado | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Salazar, Ken | Colorado | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Dodd, Christopher J. | Connecticut | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Lieberman, Joseph I. | Connecticut | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Biden, Joseph R. | Delaware | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Carper, Thomas R. | Delaware | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Martinez, Mel | Florida | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Nelson, Bill | Florida | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Chambliss, Saxby | Georgia | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Isakson, Johnny | Georgia | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Akaka, Daniel | Hawaii | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Inouye, Daniel K. | Hawaii | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Craig, Larry E. | Idaho | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Crapo, Mike | Idaho | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Durbin, Richard | Illinois | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Obama, Barack | Illinois | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Bayh, Evan | Indiana | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Lugar, Richard G. | Indiana | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Grassley, Chuck | Iowa | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Harkin, Tom | Iowa | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Brownback, Sam | Kansas | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Roberts, Pat | Kansas | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Bunning, Jim | Kentucky | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| McConnell, Mitch | Kentucky | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Landrieu, Mary L. | Louisiana | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Vitter, David | Louisiana | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Collins, Susan M. | Maine | R | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Snowe, Olympia | Maine | R | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Mikulski, Barbara A. | Maryland | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Sarbanes, Paul S. | Maryland | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Kennedy, Edward M. | Massachusetts | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Kerry, John F. | Massachusetts | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Levin, Carl | Michigan | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Stabenow, Debbie | Michigan | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Coleman, Norm | Minnesota | R | N | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Dayton, Mark | Minnesota | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Cochran, Thad | Mississippi | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Lott, Trent | Mississippi | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Bond, Christopher S. | Missouri | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Talent, James M. | Missouri | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Baucus, Max | Montana | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Burns, Conrad | Montana | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Hagel, Chuck | Nebraska | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Nelson, E. Benjamin | Nebraska | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Ensign, John | Nevada | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Reid, Harry | Nevada | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Gregg, Judd | New Hampshire | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Sununu, John E. | New Hampshire | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Lautenberg, Frank R. | New Jersey | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Menendez, Robert | New Jersey | D | NA | NA | Y | Y | C |
| Bingaman, Jeff | New Mexico | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Domenici, Pete V. | New Mexico | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Clinton, Hillary R. | New York | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Schumer, Charles E. | New York | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Burr, Richard | North Carolina | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Dole, Elizabeth | North Carolina | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Conrad, Kent | North Dakota | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Dorgan, Byron L. | North Dakota | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| DeWine, Mike | Ohio | R | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Voinovich, George V. | Ohio | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Coburn, Tom | Oklahoma | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Inhofe, James M. | Oklahoma | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Smith, Gordon H. | Oregon | R | Y | N | N | Y | C |
| Wyden, Ron | Oregon | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Santorum, Rick | Pennsylvania | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Specter, Arlen | Pennsylvania | R | N | Y | N | Y | C |
| Chafee, Lincoln | Rhode Island | R | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Reed, Jack | Rhode Island | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| DeMint, Jim | South Carolina | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Graham, Lindsey | South Carolina | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Johnson, Tim | South Dakota | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Thune, John | South Dakota | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Alexander, Lamar | Tennessee | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Frist, William H. | Tennessee | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Cornyn, John | Texas | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Hutchison, Kay Bailey | Texas | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Bennett, Robert F. | Utah | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Hatch, Orrin G. | Utah | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Jeffords, James M. | Vermont | I | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Leahy, Patrick J. | Vermont | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Allen, George | Virginia | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Warner, John | Virginia | R | N | N | N | Y | F |
| Cantwell, Maria | Washington | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Murray, Patty | Washington | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Byrd, Robert C. | West Virginia | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Rockefeller, John D. | West Virginia | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Feingold, Russell D. | Wisconsin | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Kohl, Herb | Wisconsin | D | Y | Y | Y | Y | A |
| Enzi, Michael B. | Wyoming | R | N | N | N | N | F |
| Thomas, Craig | Wyoming | R | N | N | N | N | F |
1 S.1932 provides a provision that eliminates the "accumulated shortfall" of budget authority for the Federal Pell Grant Program by cutting the budget and lowering the reserve fund for Higher Education.
2 S.AMDT.177 is relative to educational funding.
3 S.AMDT.3028 supports college access and job training by restoring program cuts slated for vocational education, TRIO, GEAR UP, Perkins Loans and other student aid programs and increases maximum Pell Grant to $4,500.
4 S.AMDT.3048 increases the advance appropriations allowance in order to fund health, education and training, and low-income programs.