Since 1964, the federal government has had two successful programs that have helped Americans from low-income and first-generation college backgrounds (whose parents never enrolled in higher education) prepare for and earn their college degrees, helping to stop the cycle of poverty. The federally funded TRIO programs (Upward Bound, Veterans Upward Bound, Math-Science Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, Student Support Services, the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program, and Educational Opportunity Centers) and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR-UP), serve more than 50,000 low-income, first-generation college students and disabled individuals throughout New England. The TRIO and GEAR UP programs provide college preparation and awareness, working with individuals from middle school through adulthood. Regretfully, although these successful federal programs only had funding to serve about 10% of the eligible population, they have faced budget challenges this year. As a result of across-the-board domestic spending cuts of the continuing resolution passed by Congress in May, the president and Congress cut TRIO and GEAR UP by 3%. The author argues that the federal TRIO and GEAR UP programs could help close the income gap if funded by the government. By maintaining and increasing funding for these programs, congress and the "super committee" will take real action in increasing college graduation rates, shrinking the divide between the rich and the poor, while also creating jobs.