mr. chairman , i agree with the gentleman from florida ( mr. keller ) xz4002120 that the pell grant program plays an essential role in helping disadvantaged students pursue a college education . 
and for more than 30 years , the pell grant program has served as the foundation of federal need-based student aid . 
i further applaud my colleague and a member of our committee from florida ( mr. keller ) xz4002120 for his strong leadership in supporting the pell grant program , and as chairman of the pell grant caucus , and for his sharing with us his personal experiences as a former pell grant recipient . 
the gentleman is correct to point out that the republican congress has provided unprecedented support for pell grants . 
funding for pell grants doubled in the last 10 years , and today we are proposing to add more than $ 1 billion in additional funding . 
the number of students receiving pell grants has risen significantly , and today about 5.3 million students are attending college with the help of a pell grant . 
so i want to thank my colleague from ohio ( mr. regula ) xz4003340 , the dean of our delegation , for his leadership as chairman of the labor-hhs appropriations subcommittee . 
he has been a strong advocate on behalf of education programs , and it has been a privilege to work with him in support of our priorities . 
given the constraints that the gentleman from ohio ( mr. regula ) xz4003340 is working with , i fully understand . 
i agree with my colleague from florida ( mr. keller ) xz4002120 that we should do all we can to increase the maximum award . 
