Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, was in Southwest Florida Wednesday. He sat in on a business and education panel with many of the area’s university presidents including Ave Maria President Jim Towey and FGCU President Dr. Wilson Bradshaw.
Nelson told members of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce and education leaders that right now further investment from the federal government in higher education is an uphill battle.
"What you are seeing in Washington that is getting in the way of things like Pell grants the work study program," he said. "Whatever you are seeing, the body politic is broken in the halls of the government-- in Tallahassee, as well as Washington."
He said sequestration—which has levied huge federal spending cuts across the board—is the root of many problems these days.
However, he said chamber members and business leaders could help change that.
"As you all talk about the cuts to the universities, there is something we could do about it," he said. "You don’t have to convince me. I have always supported the higher funding for Pell grants. But you can talk to your members of congress that are voting for the sequester. This is not an R or D issue. This is an issue of idiocy. And I’ve got to depend on you all. I need some help. You all are the business leaders of this community."
Education leaders asked about more money for Pell grants, which would greatly affect the area’s needy college students. Nelson says that until sequestration is fixed, that extra funding would not happen.
Nelson also visited the groundbreaking of a housing project in Fort Myers.
