After cutting out more than $100 billion from the stimulus package, Republicans and Democrats were able to broker an agreement in the U.S. Senate, passing the $838 billion stimulus package by a vote of 61 to 36. With the modifications that legislators made on Friday, billions were cut from higher education funding.

The Senate’s bill, in comparison to that of the House, gives less funding to higher education. Education aid for states, for example, was reduced from $64 billion to $36.2 billion. Regardless of the various cuts to different aspects of higher education; the $13.9 billion directed to increase the maximum Pell Grant for students with financial need remained intact. Senate Passes Stimulus, Cuts Higher Ed Funds

Although the Senate’s bill gives $450 billion ($150 billion less than the House’s bill) to science funding, the Senate’s bill also gives $7.85 billion to the National Institutes of Health for biomedical research and $2 billion to the National Science Foundation for research grants.

With the Senate scheduled to vote again on the stimulus bill tomorrow, legislators from the House and Senate must negotiate the differences between the two bills so that President Barack Obama will approve the final version.