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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

GOP Blocks Senate Debate On Dem Student Loan Bill

By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Republicans have blocked the Senate from debating a Democratic bill keeping interest rates on college loans from doubling this summer for 7.4 million students.

Republicans say they support heading off higher rates on subsidized Stafford loans. They oppose how Democrats would pay for the measure – raising payroll taxes on high-earning stockholders of some privately owned corporations.

The vote was largely symbolic because the measure had no chance of approval in the Republican-run House. It was also designed with November’s elections in mind because it could produce fodder for Democratic commercials against GOP senators.

Republicans want a vote on their own bill freezing interest rates and paid for by abolishing a health care fund.

Tuesday’s vote was 52-45 to debate the measure – eight votes short of the 60 needed.

Guests:

  • Kathleen Hunter, Bloomberg News Congress correspondent
Other stories from Tuesday's show

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

  • http://www.ohioken.com Ken Palosi

    I am once again disconcerted with the attempt of republicans to make a political issue out of an issue that is of concern to all Americans. I don’t think the student loan debate should be used to cancel the preventative fund of the health care law. Preventive care is so fundamentally critical not only to the health of all Americans but also directly reducing health care costs. That being said; all sides are ignoring a more important facet of the student loan crisis and that is the ever spiralling cost of higher education. To me higher education in America is run like a monopolistic and humongous business that is mainly concernced  with dollar bills and not the welfare and more importantly the education of our youth.

  • It

    Those mean Republicans trying to pay for this entitlement from a new entitlement program not from new taxes.

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