U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley asked Clatsop Community College’s Class of 2014 Friday to stand up if they were first-generation college students. Promptly, more than half of those graduating were out of their seats. Merkley, a first-generation university student and now a senator facing re-election in five months, promised to fight
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
WASHINGTON – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley welcomed the announcement from the White House today that the administration will expand income-based repayment options for federal student loans, making higher education more affordable for as many as 5 million Americans. The new plan will expand a 2010 law that allows students with
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley today helped four West Salem high school students celebrate their high school graduation because they will miss their graduation ceremony in Oregon this week. The students are in Washington, D.C. this week to be recognized as first place winners in the Toshiba/National Science
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
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,”
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
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
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
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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