Education
The public education system has provided generations of Americans with the skills needed to make the United States the world’s leading innovator of the past century. As a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I want to ensure our children and grandchildren can continue to have access to the highest quality public education, preparing them to be competitive in today’s globalized economy.
I am committed to investing in education to provide future generations with the tools they need to become leaders. I support efforts to modernize our classrooms, reduce class sizes, enhance special education programs, provide students with access to affordable higher education opportunities, and ensure America has the best-trained and most qualified teachers. I believe investing in the public education system is one of the best ways to help America become more productive and competitive.
Pre-K education is vital to our children’s cognitive development and I support the efforts to supply pre-K education to all 4-year-olds, in families at or below 200% of the poverty line, through local school districts as well as other local partners. Making pre-K education more accessible will allow our children to thrive in our nation’s educational system.
College can open up many opportunities and I believe we have a responsibility to make higher education affordable for our next generation. Unfortunately, a quality, affordable college education is growing further out of reach for too many in this country. Currently in Wisconsin, the average student debt amounts to more than $26,000, and total student debt in this country now tops $1 trillion. This rising student debt is due to increasing tuition costs, out of control interest rates, and the difficult job market facing recent graduates. While students struggle to make loan payments, they are prevented from actively contributing to our economy. This is why I introduced the Student Loan Refinance Bill. This legislation would allow nearly 40 million Americans to refinance their federal student loans, freeing up funds to buy a house, get a new car, support a family, and pursue greater economic opportunities.
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More on Education
MADISON, WI—Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02) released the following statement in response to the Wisconsin Republican Party’s refusal to fund K-12 and higher education at the level necessary to qualify for $1.5 billion in federal COVID aid.
MADISON, WI—After reaching out to the Department of Education to ask whether the state GOP’s insufficient education budget proposal would disqualify Wisconsin from receiving $1.5 billion in federal COVID aid, Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02) received confirmation that Wisconsin would lose the federal aid if they move forward with the GOP’s budget proposal. Congressman Pocan released the following statement and shared the Department of Education’s letter to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and Governor Tony Evers.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), released the following statement in response to the Biden administration’s reversal of some Trump-era prohibitions on the use of fetal tissue in biomedical research.