Congressman Chaka Fattah Praises Obama’s College Initiatives

Rep. Fattah

President Obama met with university presidents Monday to promote new initiatives to make college more accessible.

According to a press release from the Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah, Rep. Fattah, the initiator of many college access and affordability programs, praised recent initiates by Obama to increase college graduation rates and to make it more affordable.

“The Obama Administration has made historic investments in Pell Grants and in the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), which Congressman Fattah introduced and guided to passage in 2009,” said the release.

On Monday, Obama promoted a program to cap some student loan payments at 10 percent of discretionary income.  There was also a “pay as you earn” provision for those in public service careers.

According to the release, Fattah supports Obama in his goal to make the US number one in the world for college graduates by 2020.

Fattah’s AOTC has provided $14 billion in tax credits to help send students from low to middle income families to college, said the press release. He is also responsible for GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) and CORE, a scholarship program that provides grants to Philadelphia high school graduates so they have financial assistance to begin college.

Fattah began a four day conference at Drexel University Monday, where he will explain Philadelphia’s college financial aid and access campaign, which the press release said will launch in January.

No matter what the cost of higher education, “ignorance costs more,” said Fattah, according to the press release.