Political Quotes

“Mr. President, 2 weeks ago, Senate Democrats announced our commitment to end the crushing burden of student loan debt. Our campaign is called ``In the Red'' because we agree with what President Obama said during his final State of the Union: ``No hard-working student should be stuck in the red.'' My special guest at President Obama's final State of the Union address highlighted exactly this point. Alexis Ploss is a student at UMass Lowell. She is a first-generation college student working on a degree in math. She wants to get a master's degree so she can become a public school teacher, but she has already taken on over $50,000 in student loan debt. Think about that, smart, hard-working students who want to build a future for themselves and who want to teach the next generation of kids are weighing the benefits of more education against the fear of an unmanageable debt load. I don't think Alexis will quit, but I want my Republican colleagues to explain to me how America is any better off if a young woman doesn't get a master's degree and become a first-rate math teacher. How is this country any better off if young people get scared by debt, quit school, and take a job that requires less education? What Alexis and hundreds of thousands of other people like her end up doing will be affected by decisions we make right in this room. If Congress does nothing, then Alexis and hundreds of thousands of other students just get squeezed harder.…”