“Congress is responsible for putting in place programs to help our kids get a better education and then ensuring those programs have the funding they need to be effective,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee.  “Though the bill which passed the House this week was a huge boost for higher education, it’s ironic House Democrat leaders were unwilling to take additional steps to make funding these key programs a priority.  Unfortunately, it appears partisan politics prevented them from putting the needs of Montana’s schools over their own personal projects.”

            Yesterday, House Republicans introduced an amendment to the College Opportunity and Affordability Act that would require Pell Grants and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to be fully funded before any earmarks or new programs in the bill could be funded. 

            IDEA provides funding for special education and related services to children with disabilities and serves nearly 18,557 Montana students.  The Federal Pell Grant program is the single largest source of grant aid for postsecondary education attendance funded by the federal government.   More than16,564 students in the Montana University system receive Pell Grants.

Rehberg is also a sponsor of the Reservation Accelerated Development for Education Act which mandates full-funding for federally connected IDEA kids at the federal government’s promised 40% match share.