Last Friday, after the GOP-led House passed legislation that would prevent federal loan costs from doubling for millions of college students, House Speaker John Boehner and other Republicans accused Democrats and President Obama of playing politics with the issue, since they say both parties are in agreement that the interest rates for subsidized Stafford loans should stay at 3.4 percent for another year, rather than automatically growing to 6.8 percent on July 1.
But Tampa area Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor says that's not exactly true.
Appearing in front of the Midtown campus of St. Petersburg College with over a dozen SPC students standing behind her, Castor said the GOP scrambled to hold a vote on the issue last week only after Obama had successfully put them on their heels by barnstorming the country about the issue last week.
"In their budget, they did not address the student loan increase," she said of the Paul Ryan-crafted economic plan. "They kept it in on track to increase."
Although the bill was passed in the Republican House, it's considered DOA in the Democratically controlled U.S. Senate because of how the GOP wants to pay to keep down the interest rates.
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2012.
