The Iowa Senate Republican budget proposal, which passed the Education Budget Subcommittee last week, will cut the Iowa College Work-Study program.

This move will leave 4,000 students in Iowa – 800 from Iowa State – without a significant source of financial aid.

The program, which Sen. Johnie Hammond, D-Ames, called “the most democratic financial-aid package we have,” rewards hard work.

It is an alternative to loans for financially strapped students and those who can’t get enough scholarship money.

Senate Republicans are not helping their cause of keeping students in Iowa with such cuts.

Eliminating a major source of financial aid, decreasing tuition grants by $2.9 million and instigating major budget cuts that will result in higher tuition will not endear most students to this state.

Sen. Kitty Rehberg, R-Rowley, said as long as the economy is good, students can get higher-paying jobs outside the program.

However, the reason budgets are being cut this year is because the economy is not good.

There are not jobs available.

Many companies have initiated hiring freezes, so even students with a degree often cannot find jobs.

Republican legislators also refuse to spend money from the Economic Emergency Fund.

Gov. Vilsack has proposed taking money from the fund to cushion the blow of budget cuts to higher education.

However, Iowa Republicans do not agree.

“We are not in an economic emergency. [An economic emergency] comes when we cannot fund prisons, schools and Medicaid recipients,” Rehberg said.

Prisons and Medicaid recipients may not be in danger yet, but the past few months have proven that the state cannot fund education.

Unless the state of Iowa can avoid cutting financial aid programs and fully fund higher education, maybe that tax cut isn’t really necessary.

editorialboard: Carrie Tett, Jocelyn Marcus, Katie Goldsmith, Andrea Hauser and Tim Paluch