FARGO (AP) - North Dakota college students are speaking out against a federal budget bill they say would hit student loan programs hard.

"I'm afraid it will price students out of college," said Minot State University junior Mike Sadowski.

Kayla Pulvermacher, a senior at North Dakota State University, said she worries the bill will force her two younger brothers to bypass a college education.

"It is important to me to see my younger brothers have the same opportunity as me," Pulvermacher said Tuesday, at a press conference called by the North Dakota Progressive Coalition.

"They (lawmakers) need to find a different alternative."

The budget bill is an attempt to control automatic growth in such government programs as Medicaid, food stamps and student loan subsidies, but even some Republicans in Congress are unhappy with it, and changes are expected.

About 75 percent of North Dakota's college students, or about 30,000, have loans, said Barry Nelson, the North Dakota Progressive Coalition board chairman.

The proposed student loan changes represent a double hit for college students after double-digit tuition increases, Nelson said.

Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., and Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said Tuesday they will vote against the bill. Pomeroy said it is poorly timed, considering fuel expenses and record-high tuition rates.

"This is a shotgun blast across the face of the most important programs in the federal government," he said.

The Senate has its own budget bill, and the two versions would have to be reconciled if the House version passes.