GOP House Approves ‘Cynical’ Bill to Keep Student Loan Rates Low by Slashing Funding to Support Women’s and Children’s Health
WASHINGTON – Rather than working in a bipartisan manner to prevent the doubling of student loan rates for more than 7 million college students in a fiscally responsible way, House Republicans instead pushed through partisan legislation that would harm public health. House Democrats have instead proposed to keep student loan interest rates low by eliminating billions of dollars in unwarranted tax subsidies to big oil.
“Today’s vote shows that the Republicans are on very thin ice on this issue, barely being able to pass their bill, and by less than a majority of the House. They should join us now on a bill to lower the loan rates and pay for it in a way that does not harm middle class women and children,” said Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. “Republicans call the Prevention and Public Health Fund a ‘slush’ fund. That’s amazing. Breast and cervical cancer screenings are not things you pay for with a slush fund. You don’t immunize children from infectious disease with a slush fund. You want know what a slush fund is? A slush fund is the tax loophole Republicans are protecting for the five largest oil and gas companies making record profits. That’s a slush fund.”
After first ignoring the increase in student loan rates and then voting to allow the rate to increase in the Ryan Republican budget, House Republicans reversed course this week and finally agreed with Democrats to keep interest rates low. However, the House Republican bill would eliminate an important component of the Affordable Care Act that has already helped families, communities and health professionals identify and prevent chronic disease.
“The Republican bill to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling is not a serious attempt to fix this situation. This bill pits American students against middle-class women and children. There is no way this is a viable option for our families,” said Rep. John Tierney (D-MA), the lead sponsor of the Democratic proposal.
The Prevention Fund is slated to fund programs this year that provide cancer screenings for women, childhood immunization and birth defect screening, such as hearing loss tests for newborns. This prevention fund has also been used to support health care workforce development and public health initiatives to combat diseases like obesity, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
“The Republican majority’s feeble attempt to extend current student loan rates chooses subsidies for Big Oil over protecting families’ health care. These are the wrong priorities and Republicans should join in offering a legitimate source of funding that doesn’t put anyone’s health in jeopardy. The American people cannot afford to see interest rates double on their student loans,” said Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI).
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