On the recordMay 7, 2014
on the Senate floor we have been focusing on policies that give Americans a fair shot, bills that would help to reverse the growing trend of income inequality and create more opportunities to climb the economic ladder, the idea that if you work hard and plays by the rules, you can do well for your family and you can create a better opportunity for your children and their children. Making college more affordable and reducing student loan debt is central to these goals. In fact, I think it is the middle-class issue of our generation. It is hard to get ahead nowadays without a college degree, but the cost of college is growing faster than the cost of all other consumer goods--twice as fast as health care costs. The growing cost of college is preventing some from getting a degree in the first place and leaving others with unmanageable levels of debt. This is the middle-class issue of our time. Students have taken on more than $1 trillion in debt to cover the cost of college. Student debt is now the fastest growing and highest consumer debt burden behind mortgages. This debt burden is not sustainable. Saddled with this debt, young adults are delaying starting families, buying homes and cars, and starting new businesses. The rate at which students are failing to repay their loans is alarming. Over one-third of borrowers who are in repayment are delinquent on their loans by 90 days or more. One-third of borrowers are delinquent.…





