American families deserve a fair shot at an affordable college education
The following guest commentary was written by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley. The promise that the next generation will be able to go further and do better than the last one is the heart of the American Dream. I was fortunate enough to have that chance. I grew up in a
Bill might ease student loan squeeze
Financial counselors at a Springfield home-buying program are increasingly running into a monumental roadblock when they try to help first-time home buyers qualify for a mortgage: student loans. “In counseling, we actually get down and pull their credit reports for them and look at individual line items with them individually,”
Merkley Teams Up With Warren on Bill to Reduce Debt Burden for Student Borrowers
WASHINGTON – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley teamed up with Senator Elizabeth Warren to introduce the Bank on Students Emergency Loans Refinancing Act, which will allow students paying high interest rates on student loans to refinance both public and private federal loans at a fixed, lower interest rate. “In this
Sen. Jeff Merkley: Ending student debt with “Pay It Forward”
The U.S. Department of Education reports that the average total cost of going to a public, 4-year college for one year was $21,000 for in-state students in 2011-2012. And while college costs are spiraling upward, so is student debt. The Institute for College Access and Success finds that 7 in
As Families Consider New Financial Aid Offers, Merkley Announces Cosponsorship of Legislation to Refinance High-Interest Student Loans
Portland, OR – As students and their families consider financial aid offers for the 2014-15 school year, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley was joined today by Portland State University students in announcing his cosponsorship of legislation to help tens of millions of graduates refinance their existing federal student loans. National student
Merkley Introduces Legislation to Pilot Innovative Strategy to Help Middle Class Families Pay For College
WASHINGTON – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley introduced legislation that would create a new model for college financing to help middle class families pay for college. Merkley’s plan is based on and complements Oregon’s legislation that was passed during the 2013 legislative session and arose from a Portland State University
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