Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, unless Congress acts, millions of students will see their student loan interest rates double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1 of this year. This issue is important to students, parents, teachers, and businesses all across my home State of Rhode Island. It will result in more than 43,000 students paying more than $34 million in additional interest costs. We must act on this issue. But some in this Chamber have put partisanship ahead of good public policy and propose extending these rates by cutting funding for preventative health care. Today the Senate will be voting on cloture for a bill that would extend low-interest student loans by closing a tax loophole. I would like to especially thank my State's senior Senator, Jack Reed, for his leadership in highlighting this issue on the Senate side and making sure that Congress acts in the best interests of working families. I urge my colleagues in the House to reconsider their course of action and to not propose a false choice between the welfare of our young people and public health. We owe it to our young people to ensure that we prevent these rates from doubling. ____________________”