Earl Blumenauer: “And I am saying for 12 years they had a chance. I am sorry if you couldn't work with the administration and the…”

“And I am saying for 12 years they had a chance. I am sorry if you couldn't work with the administration and the Republicans who ran the other Chamber. But my point is I am not dealing with Taj Mahals; I am dealing with community colleges that have not had the basics. I am not talking about rock walls for 50 students at one time; I am talking about basic laboratory space, classroom space, library space, people who are having difficulty getting access. The point is that the people on the other side of the aisle have been talking about this while they have been cutting opportunities and cutting budgets, cutting taxes. This bill continues our commitment to working families, promoting competitiveness in the workforce by starting by cutting interest rates on these subsidized undergraduate loans. It targets the lower and middle income students and their families with the most financial need and the least support. The poor often get grants; the rich don't need them. This bill would save that college borrower in the middle thousands of dollars. In my State in Oregon, our students have the second highest amount of debt in the country. Over 40,000 Oregon students a year will be substantially helped by this legislation amongst the 5 rac{1}{2} million students around the country in times of skyrocketing tuition.”