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Since the early days of his administration, President Obama has enjoyed a reputation as a higher education reformer. Just over four years ago he told a joint session of Congress that the country would regain its place as the most educated nation in the world, and his student loan reform bill phased out the role of private lenders in the federal aid system. Two years ago he famously warned college... Read more »

By Rep. John Kline (R-MN) Last summer, debate about student loans reached a fever pitch thanks to a scheduled increase in the interest rate for subsidized Stafford loans made to undergraduate students. The president began touring college campuses, calling on Congress to prevent the increase that his own party set in motion in 2007. As I said at the time, no one wanted to see interest rates double... Read more »

President Obama's 2014 budget calls on Congress to prevent a doubling of interest rates on student loans and make the rates "more market-based." Last week House Republicans and four Democrats voted to prevent the rates from doubling and make the rates more market-based. Naturally, Mr. Obama is sitting down with the leaders of both parties in a good-faith effort to iron out their remaining differe... Read more »

Across the country, the American people are still struggling in the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression. At a time when nearly 12 million are searching for work, the Republican-led House continues to champion a positive agenda that will help spur economic growth and job creation. Republicans recognize that too often misguided government policies make it more difficult for business... Read more »

Tomorrow President Obama will hold an event at the White House to “call on Congress to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling on July 1st.” But wait a minute – the House has already taken action, approving legislation that mirrors the president’s own proposal to shift interest rates to a long-term, market-based solution. That’s right – the Smarter Solutions for Students Act is based on ... Read more »

Bipartisan compromise is tough to find in Washington right now — but when there is opportunity for agreement, we owe it to the American people to take action. In the coming weeks, millions of student-loan borrowers could see their interest rates double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. We’re in this predicament because politicians put themselves in charge of setting interest rates, guaranteeing un... Read more »

Congress has only begun working on student loans this year, and already it’s going better than last year’s debacle. Election-year politics drove Congress and the White House to endorse a bumper-sticker policy — keep loan rates from doubling! — instead of looking at the substance. Lawmakers rushed to extend a 3.4 percent rate on certain new loans instead of allowing the rate to revert back to 6.8 ... Read more »

Unless a long-term solution is enacted, millions of student loan borrowers will see their interest rates double on July 1, 2013. To prevent this interest rate cliff, House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) introduced the Smarter Solutions for Students Act (H.R. 1911). But w... Read more »

On Saturday Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) highlighted the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013 (H.R. 1406) in the weekly Republican address. The commonsense proposal to give private-sector workers the option of receiving paid time off or ‘comp time’ for overtime hours worked was approved by the House of Representatives last week. During her remarks, Rep. Roby explained how H.R. 1406 would help more ... Read more »

This week the House of Representatives approved this week the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013 (H.R. 1406), a commonsense proposal that will help more Americans balance family and work. This legislation will allow private-sector employers to offer workers the choice to accrue paid time off or ‘comp time’ for working overtime hours. Recent articles highlight the latest Republican effort to ... Read more »