Political Quotes

“I rise to speak about the Perkins Loan Program as well. We heard a number of important presentations here about the critical nature of this program to students across the country who are trying to fulfill the American dream, and one way to do that is to have access to higher education. I have often said in the context of early learning, whether we are talking about early learning programs or prekindergarten programs, if kids learn more now, they will earn more later. That linkage, that bond between earning and learning is, of course, at the core of what we are talking about when it comes to higher education as well. The benefit of a higher education has become so essential not only to being able to learn and to grow but also to getting the best job you can to be able to move forward. One of the ways young people are able to do that is by having access to Perkins loans. They are fixed-rate, low-interest loans, and they are meant for students who, as we heard before on this floor, have exceptional financial needs. For example, in Pennsylvania, in the 2013 to 2014 school year, nearly 40,000 students in Pennsylvania, at more than 100 colleges and universities, were able to go to school because of these loans. Nationwide, more than 539,000 students were helped. For many students, these loans are the difference between staying in school and working toward a bright future or literally dropping out of school.…”