Campaign focuses on student loan assistance for middle and working class families

Hickory, NC—Today Rep. Patsy Keever continued to hammer her opponent on the issues, focusing specifically on education and Congressman McHenry’s vote to cut student loan assistance for middle and working class families.

Speaking to a group of retired teachers in Hickory, Keever said that her opponent voted to “cut funding for the Department of Education by $115 billion over the next ten years.” She noted that “as a result, Pell Grants for more than 9.6 million students would be cut by more than $1,000. Over 1 million students would lose all federal funding for education over the next ten years.”

Patrick McHenry voted for both versions of the Ryan budget which would not only have cut Pell Grant money, but would also have attacked Head Start, a successful early childhood education program. McHenry voted to cut nearly 2 million slots for underprivileged children that previously would have been able to participate in the program.

As a former public school teacher, mom and grandmother, Rep. Keever has unique insight into what works in the classroom and what works for parents. Congressman McHenry has shown himself to be highly partisan, voting against the educational interests of the children in his district and for the political ambitions of the extreme wing of his Party.

Policy Difference #4

Patrick McHenry voted to cut student loan assistance to middle and working class families. As a former public school teacher, Patsy Keever believes that every child deserves the opportunity for a quality education—from early childhood through technical school or college. If you want to reduce the opportunities for middle and working class families to send their children to college, then vote for Patrick McHenry. If you want to make sure that every child has the opportunity for a college education, then vote for Patsy Keever.

Rep. Patsy Keever (NC-115) is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District. Keever taught in the public schools for more than 25 years and served on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners for 12 years. In 2010, Keever was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives from NC District 115.