Military tuition assistance taken away after sequester

With the sequester came massive cuts to tuition assistance for those in military service, according to an article by The New Yorker.

Although this caused Congress to start working on a bill that will keep most of the tuition funding in place, it hasn’t passed yet. Until that happens, students in the Army, Air Force and Marines have already been cut off from the funding.

New applications for grants are not being accepted for any who didn’t have them completed before March 12. This has sparked a petition with more than the needed 100,000 signatures to warrant an official White House response.

The budget bill to keep tuition assistance for those in the military has to pass the House, and even if it passes, funding will still be cut by 8 percent.

Kay Hogan, a co-sponsor of the bill, wrote this is an important aspect to fight against because it “gives our best and brightest the opportunity to continue developing their skills while on active duty, which will ultimately lead to smoother transitions to civilian life.”

EMAIL: alovell@deseretnews.com