[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   RISING STUDENT LOAN INTEREST RATES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, yesterday afternoon, 
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stated, ``If we do nothing, student 
loan rates go to 6.8 percent,'' as reported by Politico.
  In case the Leader forgot, interest rates doubled to 6.8 percent last 
week. The House acted to prevent it. The Senate did not.
  Today, The Washington Post Editorial Board writes:

       The Senate is set to consider on Wednesday the Keep Student 
     Loans Affordable Act in what could be the Chamber's only 
     reaction to the recent doubling of a low student loan 
     interest rate . . . lawmakers should reject this pathetic 
     nonsolution.

  The editorial continues:

       With the President and the House in near alignment on the 
     student loan issue, the Senate has no excuse to fail. Mr. 
     Obama should press Democrats hard and work with Republicans 
     to strike a deal, not to vote for dead-end policy.

  Unfortunately, rather than solve problems, the Senate is wasting the 
American people's time and moving forward with another dead-end policy, 
what today's Post refers to as another ``campaign gimmick.''
  The people deserve better. Our students deserve better in this 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, the Senate has no excuse.

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