[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8885]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             PREVENTING STUDENT LOAN INTEREST RATE INCREASE

  (Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in less than 3 
weeks, student loan interest rates will double for millions of the 
country's neediest students, going from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, 
unless Congress takes decisive action to maintain the current interest 
rate.
  The rising cost of a college education is driving many young 
Americans to assume historically high levels of student debt. With 
college tuition growing rapidly, the doors of opportunity are closing 
on today's students. The problem will only get worse if Congress does 
not act soon.
  With the job market still recovering, we should not be asking 
students with the greatest need to be burdened by higher loan costs. 
Making college more affordable is one of the best investments our 
Nation can make in America's economic future. We must craft a long-term 
solution for student debt--and it must be now--as part of a 
comprehensive approach at lowering the cost of college, but time is 
running out to block the July rate hike. We don't need the sham that we 
passed a few weeks ago that makes the situation worse.
  Providing affordable education should not be a partisan issue. This 
is a student issue, and it affects young people across this Nation of 
all political persuasions and in all congressional districts.

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