[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 79 (Thursday, June 6, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3977-S3978]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MOTION TO PROCEED--S. 953
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 2
minutes of debate equally divided.
Who yields time? The Senator from North Carolina.
Mr. BURR. Mr. President, in 1992 the Congress created the Direct Loan
Program. When this program was originated, the loans to students were
at variable rates. Let me say to my colleagues this morning, Congress
now sets the rates. We changed that in 2006.
The bill you will talk about now--let me just pose this to you: If
you believe it is appropriate for Congress to pick winners and losers,
then support this bill. If you believe it is appropriate for Congress
to subsidize 40 percent of the student loan population and overcharge
the other 60 percent of the student loan population, then vote for this
bill. If you believe that is not the congressional role and that we
need a long-term, permanent, transparent, predictable solution, then
vote against this bill and let's sit down between now and July 1 and
write a bipartisan approach that solves this problem once and for all.
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today the Senate will have a cloture vote
on the motion to proceed to S. 953, the Student Loan Affordability Act,
continuing a disturbing pattern when it comes to the consideration and
processing of legislation under the jurisdiction of the Senate Finance
Committee, of which I am the ranking member.
This legislation contains revenue-raising measures that should be
considered in the Finance Committee before coming to the floor. Yet,
once again, the Senate Democratic leadership has opted to bypass the
committee by way of Senate rule XIV.
If the majority leader succeeds in proceeding to S. 953, I plan to
offer a motion to commit the bill to the Finance Committee.
There is bipartisan support for reforming tax incentives for
education. If the opportunity arises, my motion could be crafted in
such a way to focus the Finance Committee's efforts on reforming these
incentives in short order. Millions of American families and students
would be well-served by such reforms.
In any event, any legislation addressing these incentives should be
considered through regular order, which means full and fair
consideration in the Senate Finance Committee. I intend to work to make
sure that takes place.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, On July 1, the interest rates will double
for the most vulnerable students in our society. Access to college,
which is fundamental to our growth, our prosperity, and individual
advancement will be compromised for 7 million low-and moderate income
students in this country.
Republicans have a long-term proposal, but they do not have a long-
term solution because it is not just about interest rates, it is about
college costs. It is about refinancing the huge amount of debt that
families have today--not just families but students--debt they may
never be able to pay off. First, we need the time to work on a long-
term solution; but, second, we need to reassure vulnerable individuals
and families that their rates will not double. Student debt today is
the second largest debt for American households. We cannot let it go
any further. Their proposal not only will not solve the problem because
it doesn't deal with all aspects, but it will increase student debt for
borrowers with financial need on July 1.
Instead, I urge passage of our proposal, the Student Loan
Affordability Act.
Cloture Motion
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, pursuant to rule
XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion,
which the clerk will report.
The bill clerk read as follows:
Cloture Motion
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the
provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to
proceed to Calendar No. 74, S. 953, a bill to amend the
Higher Education Act of 1965 to
[[Page S3978]]
extend the reduced interest rate for undergraduate Federal
Direct Stafford Loans, to modify required distribution rules
for pensions plans, to limit earnings stripping by
expatriated entities, to provide for modifications related to
the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, and for other purposes.
Harry Reid, Jack Reed, Tom Harkin, Richard J. Durbin,
Patty Murray, Benjamin L. Cardin, Al Franken, Amy
Klobuchar, Jeff Merkley, Jon Tester, Sherrod Brown,
Barbara A. Mikulski, Robert P. Casey, Jr., Elizabeth
Warren, Charles E. Schumer, Sheldon Whitehouse, Barbara
Boxer.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the quorum call has been
waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the
motion to proceed to S. 953, a bill to amend the Higher Education Act
of 1965 to extend the reduced interest rate for undergraduate Federal
direct Stafford loans, to modify required distribution rules for
pension plans, to limit earnings stripping by expatriated entities, to
provide for modifications related to the Oil Spill Liability Trust
Fund, and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close?
The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Missouri (Mrs.
McCaskill) is necessarily absent.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator
from Indiana (Mr. Coats).
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Hirono). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 51, nays 46, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 143 Leg.]
YEAS--51
Baldwin
Baucus
Begich
Bennet
Blumenthal
Boxer
Brown
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Coons
Cowan
Donnelly
Durbin
Feinstein
Franken
Gillibrand
Hagan
Harkin
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Hirono
Johnson (SD)
Kaine
Klobuchar
Landrieu
Leahy
Levin
Menendez
Merkley
Mikulski
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Pryor
Reed
Reid
Rockefeller
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Shaheen
Stabenow
Tester
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wyden
NAYS--46
Alexander
Ayotte
Barrasso
Blunt
Boozman
Burr
Chambliss
Coburn
Cochran
Collins
Corker
Cornyn
Crapo
Cruz
Enzi
Fischer
Flake
Graham
Grassley
Hatch
Heller
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
Johanns
Johnson (WI)
King
Kirk
Lee
Manchin
McCain
McConnell
Moran
Murkowski
Paul
Portman
Risch
Roberts
Rubio
Scott
Sessions
Shelby
Thune
Toomey
Vitter
Wicker
NOT VOTING--2
Coats
McCaskill
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote the yeas are 51, the nays are 46.
Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having not voted in
the affirmative, the motion is rejected.
____________________