Recently, the Republicans in the House of Representatives released a budget for fiscal 2012 that is designed to cut spending by $6 trillion over the next decade. Of the various cuts made to federal programs, the most striking to me are the proposed cuts to federal student aid for higher education-specifically Pell Grants, which are educational grants from the federal government that subsidize the costs of higher education for financially disadvantaged students.

According to the 2008-2009 End-Of-Year Report for the Federal Pell Grant Program, 5,542,893 students received federal Pell Grants with an average grant amount of $2,648 in the 2007-2008 academic year.

The following year, that number jumped to 6,156,750 students with an average grant of $2,971. Although Pell Grants are only one type of federal aid for higher education, it is clear that students are reliant upon them to afford college. The thought that Congress would cut funding to such a pertinent and vital program is shocking.

A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education says the cuts to student financial aid fall under the category of cuts to "social programs," which will lose billions of dollars. Congress is targeting Pell Grants with the intent to "curb rising tuition," according to the article from the Chronicle. Slashing funding for student aid has myriad consequences both for students today who are interested in attending college and our country's long-term economic growth.

The obvious consequence of cutting student financial aid is that many students today will be unable to afford college tuition and will therefore be unable to attend. In fact, another article from the Chronicle of Higher Education suggests that many colleges will have to rescind a portion of the financial aid offers made to students if Pell Grants are cut this year. For example, Michigan State University estimates that the financial aid packages of 9,000 students-approximately 20 percent of their entire student population-would be affected if Pell Grants are cut this year.

The deadline for enrolling in most colleges is May 1. If students discover that they cannot afford to attend college because of aid cuts after May 1, they will be placed in the unfortunate position of having to rescind their enrollment.

The country's long-term economic growth will also be hampered as a result of cuts to student aid. With these cuts, fewer students will attend and graduate from college.

This less-educated workforce harms the country's quality of human capital and diminishes our economic competitiveness with other nations. To maintain our competitiveness, we need citizens who are creative and innovative-qualities frequently obtained through a college education.

Additionally, individuals without college degrees would have a harder time finding jobs. The demand for jobs that do not require bachelor's or associate's degrees would increase at the same time that those jobs are becoming more uncommon because of our changing economic climate.

The last ramification that manifests from cutting student aid is the personal harm that students may experience from not being able to attend college. A college education allows for both personal and academic growth in an individual. Students learn to live independently and think critically, both vital skills for active citizens.

Being unable or choosing not to attend college because of financial constraints denies many students the invaluable college experience that will help them succeed personally and professionally.

A college education is a vital part of the American dream and successful professional life. It is understandable that spending cuts Congress needs to make in an attempt to balance the budget, but cutting programs that ensure America's economic competitiveness and support the intellectual pursuits of individuals is foolish and counterproductive.