[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8439]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              STOPPING THE STUDENT LOAN INTEREST RATE HIKE

  (Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. American innovators contribute to an 
economy second to none and provide a strategic advantage in national 
security. But from where will the advancements of tomorrow come?
  The U.S. ranks 27th in the world in graduates with science and 
engineering degrees, so the last thing Congress should do is make 
education less affordable. Yet that's exactly what will happen on June 
30 if Congress fails to act. Interest rates on student loans will 
double, hiking the yearly payments by $1,000 for more than 7 million 
students in this country.
  April's Republican ruse of tying student loan interest rates to the 
evisceration of preventative health care for women and children was an 
unconscionable partisan ploy. No parent should be forced to choose 
between his child's health and education. No woman should have to 
choose between breast cancer screening and a student loan.
  Lowered interest rates were the result of bipartisan cooperation 
between a Democratic Congress and a Republican President. We must stop 
the interest rate hike in a responsible and bipartisan manner, and I 
urge speedy action.

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