On the recordJune 12, 2013
Mr. Speaker, Brandie Reiner, Jack Welty, Andy Albright, Diego Soto, Anthony Carly, Ellen Hamilton, Ariel Carlos, Joe Slaven, Brandy Pantilione, Gary Brewer, Christopher Valles--these are the students and college graduates from Arizona State University, my alma mater, who shared their stories with me. Some of these young adults are my students at Arizona State University where I teach. Some are recent graduates. Some are thinking of starting a family, while others are working hard to care for the families they already have. What do these graduates want? They just want a fair shot. They want to know that their hard work in college mattered, that it led to the promise that their parents made to them when they were little, the promise we all believe in: if you work hard and play by the rules, you will succeed. Essentially, they want what each of us wanted for ourselves, what we want for our own kids, what we're working for in our districts. They want a shot at the American Dream. Instead, as Brandie Reiner begins her life and career as a social worker--having just graduated from ASU last month--she will face the biggest financial hurdle of her life. She doesn't face massive medical bills or an expensive car loan. It's not rent or a mortgage payment. It's a bill for over $100,000 in student loans. Eighteen days--18 days--that's all the time we have to stop student loan interest rates from doubling.…





