Political Quotes

“first, let me commend the Senator from Illinois for a very thoughtful statement about the pending appropriations bill, particularly with respect to the funding of the Department of Defense. I wish to spend a moment to talk about another looming issue that is beyond appropriations but is rapidly approaching. In June of last year, as we commemorated the 40th anniversary of legislation to establish the Pell Grant Program, we narrowly averted a doubling of the interest rate on need-based student loans. Back in January of 2012, Congressman Courtney and I introduced legislation to permanently extend the 3.4-percent interest rate that has helped make college loans more affordable for millions of students across the country. But my colleagues on the other side of the aisle instead voted for budgets that effectively called for the doubling of the rate. They did this at a time when students are struggling--and I will point out some of the difficulties we face--at a time when college costs are increasing and at a time when college is becoming more and more essential for obtaining any type of long-term, stable employment and ability to contribute to the continued economic growth of the country. It took thousands of calls and letters and rallies from students and parents across the country and President Obama himself getting involved in this issue to bring everyone to the table to negotiate. However, we were only able to get a temporary, short-term fix.…”