Mark Souder: “I stand up in opposition to this bill, not because I don't want to control tuition costs. This bill doesn't control…”

“I stand up in opposition to this bill, not because I don't want to control tuition costs. This bill doesn't control tuition costs. This is a fundamental disagreement about the direction of our government. Do we believe in markets or do we believe in the Federal Government? This is a remnant of the battle where we moved from direct lending over to free-market lending, that this bill, in fact, does nothing to control costs. Inevitably it will lead to the government taking over in direct lending and government having to try to fix costs of lending and then to fix the tuition costs, because there's nothing in here that balances tuition costs. Previously, students and parents, if they had to factor in rising tuition costs and they couldn't get affordable loans, the pressure of the market would come on universities and colleges and alternative forums, and the market would respond, but this bill releases the market pressure. Furthermore, in this bill there are other things that, instead of putting the money for those students who are highest risk and have the least income in Pell Grants, we've expanded into the middle class where the only hopeful pressure for tuition costs would come from.”