Republican control could affect student funding

After months of closely watching races and predicting the chances of a Republican takeover, the guessing game ended Tuesday night in a historic victory for Republicans, who gained control of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the N.C. General Assembly.

Republicans now have full control of the state legislature, which they have not been able to achieve since 1898.

As of 12:20 a.m. Democrats had gained key seats needed to keep the U.S. Senate, putting the country in the hands of a divided government.

With different parties in charge of the two chambers in U.S. Congress and Republicans taking the majority in the state, President Barack Obama and Gov. Bev Perdue’s agendas, including parts which directly affect students, could be obstructed or compromised.

Divided government can force compromise on policies, but it can also paralyze the government and does not get as much accomplished, said Jason Roberts, UNC political science professor.

Based on the Republican Party’s ideals of limiting federal spending and the goals it announced in its agenda, “A Pledge to America,” the party could be less inclined to approve more financial-aid legislation, which Obama said in a telephone conference last month has been a priority for his administration.

Legislation approved by Democrats earlier this year made changes to financial-aid system, putting grants such as the Pell Grant in complete control of the federal government, said Steven Brooks, executive director for the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority.

It is unclear if a Republican majority in the U.S. House could change the amount of federal grants awarded.

“It’s very difficult to forecast what might happen with Pell Grants,” he said. “It depends on the extent that people get worried about the national debt.”

Although Republicans have historically been less likely to approve money for need-based programs, financial-aid legislation in times of a healthy economic climate has been bipartisan, Brooks said.

But given the current economy, Republican support could be lacking, and the same could be true in the state as far as higher education spending is concerned.

A Republican majority in the N.C. General Assembly combined with the state’s budget shortfall could also lead to a significant decrease in funding for the UNC system, which has been dealing with a total cut of $575 million in the last three years.

The system’s leaders have maintained a rapport with Democratic legislators in the past few years, meaning that lobbying legislators could be an uphill battle.

“The Republican Party will not go out on a limb in making money available for those that desperately need it,” said former Sen. Tony Foriest, co-chairman of the N.C. Senate higher education appropriations committee, who was voted out of office Tuesday.

But the state is now moving in the right direction, said Jason Sutton, administrative vice chairman for UNC College Republicans.

“North Carolina is getting back to its Republican roots,” he said.

Sutton also said the Republican victory is a referendum on Obama and his handling of the economy.

Recent graduates could be affected if Republicans are able to fulfill their campaign promise of repealing health care overhaul, which includes a provision that allows people under 26 to stay on their parents’ insurance plan.

The party’s majority in the U.S. House could also block Democrats’ plans for approving the DREAM Act, which would give undocumented immigrants less than 16 years old who have lived in the country for more than five years a chance to earn citizenship.

“In the last vote for the DREAM Act, there didn’t seem to be Republican support,” said Ron Bilbao, president of UNC’s Coalition for College Access and columnist for The Daily Tar Heel.

Future federal government spending could also be in the hands of the Republican Party.

A bipartisan deficit commission led by UNC-system President Erskine Bowles is looking at ways to decrease the nation’s increasing deficit. The commission is expected to release its report in December.

A gridlocked U.S. Congress might not be able to pass legislation to act on the results of the report, Roberts said.

Republicans would have to initiate proposals to reform the long-term structure of the country’s budget.

“If there’s no sign of bipartisan reform, your generation is going to be facing reduced benefits and high deficits,” he said.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.