Pell Grant Increase Would Be First In 5 Years

Student aid was the hot topic in a recent battle between the Democratic leadership in Congress and President Bush.

First, the House of Representatives approved a spending bill for the rest of the 2007 fiscal year that provided a 6%, or $260, increase in the maximum Pell Grant award.

The next day, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that Bush planned to unveil a budget for 2008 that calls for the biggest increase in the grant program for low-income students in a generation; The maximum award would increase by nearly 14%, or $550, next year, and by 33%, or $1,350, over the next five years.