Bush Talks Job Training in Address, But Cuts Funds


President Bush is visiting Ohio today to trumpet a $500 million job training/education proposal announced in his State of the Union address.1 But the president has recently proposed to cut almost $700 million out of the same job training and education programs he is now touting.

As part of his new proposal, Bush said last night "I propose increasing our support for America's fine community colleges."2 Last year, however, the president sought to cut $230 million out of vocational/community college education, along with "eliminating funding for technical education."3. When lawmakers tried to restore the cuts in April, Bush was adamant that the cuts be preserved, and his allies in the Senate voted down the funding.4 The president also recently eliminated all $225 million in funding for youth job training grants.5

The other key piece of Bush's proposal involves college funding. The president said last night, "I propose larger Pell grants for students." But he did not mention his recent decision to "cut the Pell Grant program by $270 million"6 - a move his own Education Department admits will cut off 84,000 students, and reduce grants for "an additional one million students."7

Sources:
Fact Sheet: Jobs for the 21st Century, 01/21/2004.
State of the Union Address, 01/21/2004.
Community College Week, 02/17/2003.
Community College Week, 04/14/2003.
Bush Credibility Gap, 2004.
Chicago Tribune, 08/04/2003.
Chronicle of Higher Education, 08/01/2003.