[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12527]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1415
                         COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY

  (Ms. DelBENE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DelBENE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on the importance 
of college affordability.
  This is very personal for me. Growing up, my parents struggled 
financially, but with student loans and financial aid, I was able to go 
to college and get a great education. I would not be standing in this 
Chamber today otherwise.
  I am pleased that we will be voting on a bipartisan bill this week 
that will reverse the doubling of student loan rates that took place on 
July 1. The bill is a compromise, so it's not perfect. It doesn't 
include all of the protections that I believe our students need, like 
lower interest rate caps to keep costs down over the long term, but it 
does reduce interest rates for over 7 million undergraduates taking out 
loans this year, and it will save a college student with Stafford loans 
$3,300 compared to today's rates.
  This bill is a start, but it isn't enough. I call on my colleagues to 
continue working together on ways to bring down the costs of college 
for working families. Doing so will expand opportunity for all, spur 
long-term economic growth, and strengthen our middle class.

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