Political Quotes

“while my colleague from West Virginia is here, I wish to thank him for his leadership on this issue and for the very hard work he and other colleagues have devoted to this profoundly difficult, challenging but important issue. I rise with regret to oppose the compromise agreement that has been reached with the help of our colleagues from Illinois and Maine and across the aisle. It is a compromise, and compromises are to be sought in this day and it is bipartisan and that, too, is an objective. It is a bipartisan compromise, but the fact is, it is a bad deal. We can do better. We must do better. This Nation can do better. We have a moral and historic obligation to do better for the students of today and their brothers and sisters who will be following them over the next 10 years. This deal offers the illusion of lower rates in the short term while delivering higher rates, in some cases, in as little as 2 years from now. It forces students back into a system of market-based loans that have failed in the past and will fail in the future. It subjects students to economic uncertainties which are wholly unrelated to the actual cost of higher education. We know we need to reduce the cost of tuition and higher education. We know we need to address the overhanging $1 trillion-plus of debt that exists from past loans. This deal exacerbates the problem instead of easing the problem.…”