Skeptics question whether infusion of billions of dollars for education in the economic-stimulus bill before Congress would actually give a healthy jolt to the economy. The bill would help thousands of students pay for college and could give colleges money to fix crumbling buildings. Some members of Congress are calling for the removal of $16-billion for Pell Grants from the stimulus bill, arguing that the aid, while worthwhile, does not spur immediate job growth. Some legislators are also calling for trimming funds for the National Science Foundation's budget and other research, among other portions of the legislation they argue is not urgently needed to fuel the economy. But a majority of Democrats, and the new secretary of education, support the increase and say they will fight for its inclusion in the final version of the bill. As they move toward passage of their legislation, senators struck a deal that kept funds for Pell Grants in the bill but cut some money originally proposed for campus construction and for a fund to help states limit budget cuts to public colleges. Advocates of aid for education say that making college more affordable will provide both short-term and long-term economic benefits by bolstering local economies and by moving more Americans into the middle class.