[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3295]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                THE UNSUSTAINABLE FUTURE OF STUDENT DEBT

  (Mr. CARBAJAL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of millions of students 
and graduates in this country that are struggling to finance their 
higher education and pay off student loans.
  Yesterday I invited Izeah Garcia to the President's address. Izeah is 
an advocate for increasing accessibility and lowering the cost of a 
higher education. Izeah and I share a similar story: sons of 
hardworking immigrant parents, and the first in our families to attend 
a university, both at UC Santa Barbara, located in my district.
  Like many students today struggling to afford the rising cost of 
tuition, we relied on student loans to put us through college. In the 
President's speech last night, we didn't hear one mention of the over 
$1.3 trillion student loan debt crisis.
  I urge this administration and Congress to commit to addressing the 
unsustainable future of student debt by allowing students to refinance 
their debt at a lower interest rate and expanding access to Pell 
grants. We can ensure that every student is afforded the opportunity to 
pursue a higher education and to better their lives, their communities, 
and our country.

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