"I am here to give the American people some straight talk about higher education. Some have said we might have cut financial aid for college students. The truth is we have expanded access to college for our neediest students through the record growth of the Pell grant program"

Ric Keller is emphasizing the significance of college and the requirement to make it a lot more easily accessible to those that need it most. He is claiming that despite what some might have stated, the federal government has actually increased accessibility to university for those who want financial assistance. He is highlighting the record growth of the Pell give program, which gives financial assistance to those that need it most. This reveals that the government is dedicated to making higher education and learning much more easily accessible and also inexpensive for those that need it. Ric Keller is sending a clear message that the federal government is taking actions to make sure that everybody has the possibility to pursue college.