This hearing is about how the federal government works with all institutions of higher education to ensure that the student eligibility requirements for federal student aid outlined in the Higher Education Act are being met. I understand that there is significant history on this topic before us and I look forward to hearing more about GAO’s study and the oversight measures that are being taken to ... Read more »
Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, today strongly criticized legislation that would dramatically expand the federal government by eliminating the private sector-based federal student loan program and spending tens of billions of dollars on a range of new entitlement programs. The legislation, H.R. 3221, was approved by the House in a vote to... Read more »
Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, spoke this afternoon on the floor of the House about pending legislation that would eliminate the private sector-based Federal Family Education Loan program – the lending model chosen by a large majority of colleges and universities. The bill, H.R. 3221, also creates or expands numerous entitlement spending... Read more »
Government takeover. We’ve seen and heard a lot of those two words lately – in the credit markets, the banking sector, the automotive industry, and even the building of our schools. Then there’s health care, an industry that assumes one-sixth of America’s gross domestic product. We’re not talking about health care today, but perhaps we should be. The vote we’ll take on student lending is the culmi... Read more »
A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office adds to mounting evidence that pending legislation to overhaul college lending will cost taxpayers billions more than Democrats have acknowledged. At the request of Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the Education and Labor Committee’s top Republican, CBO re-examined the cost of reforms to the Pell Grant program included in H.R. 3221. Its findin... Read more »
Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, today expressed new doubts about pending legislation to eliminate the private sector’s role in student lending, arguing that the bill’s massive new entitlement spending initiatives may cost taxpayers far more than expected. Kline’s comments come after the Obama Administration’s Office of Management and Budg... Read more »
Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, today expressed alarm at a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office that shows tens of billions of dollars in hidden costs lurking in the Democrats’ pending legislation to orchestrate a complete government takeover of student loan programs. “We’ve known all along that eliminating the private sector from... Read more »
The U.S. House Education and Labor Committee continued its march toward a bigger, more intrusive federal government today with passage of sweeping legislation to impose a fully government-controlled student lending system on students and schools. The Democrats’ legislation, H.R. 3221, abolishes the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and redirects tens of billions in government savings an... Read more »
I have to confess a certain feeling of ‘déjà vu all over again’ as we prepare to vote on yet another budget reconciliation bill that vastly expands the reach of government. Last week, we approved a plan that sets up the federal government to take control of our health care system. This morning, we’ll be voting on a bill that will put the federal government in complete control of student lending. W... Read more »
I appreciate the opportunity to speak, but I regret that my comments will be in opposition to the bill before us. I was named Ranking Member on the Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness Subcommittee earlier this year with great excitement. After all, workforce development and higher education were key priorities for me as a State Senator, and I was anxious to get to work on bipa... Read more »
