On the recordMarch 25, 2015
I mentioned that we are going to be having a conversation not just here on the House floor, but we have been talking to young Americans and people with student debt across America. So you can tweet on your phone at #mystudentdebt or on Facebook at #mystudentdebt or also tweet under #futureforum. I just want to read one of the first tweets that came in on this, and this came from Natalie Collier. She is from my hometown in Dublin, California. It is a place where, when I was growing up there, only less than 30 percent of the high school graduates were going on to 4-year universities. That number has more than doubled today. But young people like Natalie who have gone on to college have this to say. She is in college now and she said that she pays $300 each month to reduce her interest payments, and without such payments, she could save to buy a house. So we are asking on social media, first: What is your monthly payment for your student loan debt? For some student loans, you have to start paying them immediately while you are still in college, especially for many of the private ones. Others you have to pay them immediately upon graduation. The second question is: What would you do with that money if you weren't spending it on your student loan debt? How would you spend that money?…
