Nine months after taking office in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, was back in the Capital City — this time, to talk to constituents on LSU’s campus.
LSU President F. King Alexander and students and community members joined the freshman congressman in the Student Union on Monday to discuss his role in Washington as part of “Grub with Garret,” a series of informal meetings Graves is holding throughout the district.
Alexander told Graves students were tired of using their tuition dollars to fund state government instead of seeing that money go into their classrooms.
But to balance the state budget, Graves said lawmakers would have to step back and look at inefficiencies in all departments.
“To try and balance our books on health care and education is absurd,” Graves said.
Graves stopped short of supporting legislation that did not focus on finance, both in the form of Common Core or a scorecard for higher education institutions, even as Alexander was adamant in his position to overhaul how colleges and universities are accredited.
“It is a Wild West with nobody stepping in to be sheriff,” Alexander said. “I think the federal government has a role in showing, ‘What’s the value of this place?’”
Alexander commended Student Government representatives in attendance for their recent report card grading Louisiana legislators. He said the report showed students beginning to hold higher education and lawmakers accountable.
“You took some heat, and some people tried to make it about politics,” Alexander said. “It wasn’t about politics. You are more relevant, more accountable and finally standing up for the next generation of students.”
Alexander said he couldn’t support an increase in Pell Grants until legislators “close the back door” on higher education funding.
“When you increase Pell Grants by $200, but the state cuts the budget by 30 percent and tuition goes up by $800, your Pell Grant students still have a $600 net loss,” Alexander said.
Referencing an upcoming shake up of House Republican leadership and the upcoming presidential election, Graves said it is time for Congress to begin “flexing its muscles as a co-equal branch.”
Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner recently announced his resignation, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-New Orleans, is in contention for the House majority leader position.
“I think that the new leadership is going to be helpful,” Graves said. “This White House with this Congress is rather poisonous.”
The Washington gridlock wasn’t the only standstill Graves discussed. Graves said he was focusing on “short term, mid-term and long-term” solutions to the traffic congestion on I-10.
Graves said Baton Rouge has the worst traffic in the nation for a region of its size, and it’s the only place where the interstate slims down to one lane.
He stressed the need for a comprehensive master plan that included the increase in traffic projected over the next few years.
But until the funds can be allocated to a project of that size, Graves encouraged carpooling and public transit, as well as staggered release times for downtown employees.

Gallery • 8 Photos

Ari Ross

Congressman Garret Graves and LSU President F. King Alexander meet with students to discuss important issues Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, during "Grub with Garret" in the Vieux Carre room of the Student Union.