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In a surprising move, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a major higher education spending bill last week that would have frozen federal student aid at 2005 levels.

Critics say a freeze on aid, combined with inflation, would take a big hit on college students in the new fiscal year.

Twenty-two House Republicans broke ranks and voted Thursday against the legislation, marking the first time this measure – an annual bill that is extremely important for higher education – has been rejected since the Republicans took control of the House nearly a decade ago.

The bill was rejected 224 to 209, with 22 Republicans and all Democrats voting against the measure.

The bill’s failure came as a shock to many on Capitol Hill, given the Republican Party’s reputation for unifying its rank and file in support of legislation supported by party leadership.

Many students and college officials breathed a sigh of relief as the bill’s passage was blocked – at least for now. But congressional leaders now have to develop a revised version of the bill, and some worry that the new bill may hurt students more than the rejected version.

“It’s disappointing that the federal government isn’t prioritizing higher education and the needs of students,” said Jeannie Biniek, external vice president of the Undergraduate Students Association Council. “They’re bouncing all of the different problems that the federal government has on the students.”

The legislation finances education and health care for the 2006 fiscal year, setting funding levels for the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Though college students across the country dodged the potentially damaging measure, some experts say cuts to higher education aid are still looming as elected officials hash out a revamped spending bill.

Maurice Salter, president and CEO of School Loans Corporation, said he believes congressmen may have rejected the bill because they want to reduce aid from 2005 levels in order to cut spending.

“Congress is looking for ways to cut their budget,” Salter said. “And when they want to do that, there are straightforward ways they can do that.”

Though Congress may be looking to reduce its budget, Salter said the details of reauthorization bills can change right up until Congress votes on the bill.

“The thing about reauthorization is that whatever happens, happens at the last minute,” he said.

Many of the Republicans who voted “no” on the bill – which also includes health care spending – regularly do not support spending on social service programs.

A tweaking of the bill to freeze all spending, including the social service programs affected by the legislation, might tip the balance in favor of passage.

Had the bill passed, and federal funding were frozen at 2005 levels, some higher education aid programs would likely have been cut because of inflation.

“It’s really a cut to student aid because there are more students who are going to be eligible (to go to college) plus inflation,” said Biniek, who also sits on the board of directors for the United States Student Association. “The average student is going to be stretched a little tighter.”

Another aspect of the bill to which some college officials objected was its handling of the Pell Grant program.

Though the federal grant program will likely have a surplus of $500 million by next year, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the grants would have remained at a maximum of $4,050 for the fourth straight year, had the bill passed.

Biniek said ebbing college aid would limit students’ opportunities during their schooling and in the future.

“After college, students feel like they’re less able to go to lower-paying jobs that provide services we need in our community,” Biniek said. “And while we’re in school, it limits our abilities to take advantage of the many opportunities we have.”

The National Institutes of Health would have received a small boost in biomedical research funding for next year, with the bill’s passage.

The increase, however, would have been minimal, as the NIH would have received a budget boost of about 0.5 percent, the smallest yearly increase in almost four decades.

House majority leaders extended the vote last week by more than 20 minutes in a failed attempt to persuade the bill’s Republican dissenters to support it.

A revamped version of the legislation is expected in December, after a committee made up of senators and congressmen hash out a compromise measure.

Until Dec. 17, nearly three months after the end of the 2005 fiscal year, federal funding for programs affected by the bill will remain at 2005 levels.

With reports from Richard Clough, Bruin senior staff.