WASHINGTON – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after Republicans in the Senate filibustered a bill that would allow students and graduates to refinance student loans into lower interest rates:
“When the people’s representatives put millionaires and billionaires before middle-class students who are struggling under the weight of student loans, something is very wrong. This bill is common sense: If you can refinance your home or your car, why not your student loan?
“As I travel around Oregon, I hear from family after family the same thing the statistics tell: Ballooning student loan debt is a huge burden on recent graduates and on our entire economy. It’s a crisis, and inaction is unacceptable. We can’t afford for college to become a luxury that is out of reach for the middle class. I’ll keep working on every front to make college more affordable and ensure that every Oregonian has a fair shot at the American Dream.”
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