Republicans Block Bill To Extend Low Interest Rates For Student Loans

Once again, Republicans show us who they work for. Their hatred of this president and his landmark health care law seeps from their pores. They would rather gut preventive health care funds (part of the ACA) than ask a small percentage of wealthy people to pay a little extra in order to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling.

Student Loan Vote: Republicans Block Bill To Extend Low Interest Rates

WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a bill that would have frozen student loan interest rates before they are set to double on July 1.

In a partisan vote of 52 to 45, the Senate failed to reach the 60 votes needed to begin debate on the Democratic bill. Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine) was the lone Republican to vote "present." A Snowe spokesman told The Huffington Post her vote was related to her practice of voting "present" on legislation that contains the potential or appearance of association with the private business activity of her husband.

The vote wasn't much of a surprise: Republicans have been signaling they would filibuster the bill because of its cost offsets. Democrats would cover the $6 billion cost of keeping student loan interest rates at 3.4 percent for another year by raising Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes on certain high-earners. By contrast, Republicans have called for nixing a preventive health fund to pay for it.

Ultimately, the vote gives Democrats another chance to try to frame Republicans as favoring the wealthy over the middle class in the midst of intensifying election-year politicking.

During debate on the bill, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said Republicans were "afraid" to agree to let it come up for debate because they would be forced to choose between helping college students and protecting the rich.

 

The Democrats were responsible for deciding a few years ago that the interest rate would double now. So, are they owning up to that? They did it for a reason. They wanted to be able to pretend they were the heroes by stopping their own plan from becoming reality. And they knew this would be an issue in a campaign year and they figured it would be great to add some other BS to the bill that they knew the Repubs wouldn't go for. This way, the Repubs will look like the bad guys. It was set up this way from the start.

 

Liberals will NEVER hold their party responsible for the games they play with peoples lives..

Instead we get threads like this one

 

The Repugs don't have to look like the "bad guy", they are choosing to.

 

Yes, that whole keeping interest rates below what the market would charge has worked out so well for the housing industry, why not student loans?

Is there anything in which you wouldn't want the federal government to meddle? Anything?

Oh, and can you please point to the enumerated power in the Constitution that grants the federal government authority over student loans? I can't seem to locate it.

 

It's up you ass....you know? The place where you keep your head?

 

You should know better than to believe any of the bullshit your MessiahRushie feeds you. The bill came up several times without the expiration date, but the GOP filibustered it each time until the expiration date was added, but you knew that all along!

 

Yep! that's pretty much the dems game but "It's the economy and we're not stupid."

 

When its hard to find work people shouldn't be going to school they should be working.

Idiot libruls.

 

So in short democrats wanted to raise taxes AGAIN???????

I wonder what else was HIDDEN in the bill???

You fucking idiot progressives really do believe money grows on trees don't you???

I love how you dickheads don't give a fuck how much something costs just as long as it benefits you....

As usual republicans are playing parent while democrats are being children.

What part of "we cant afford this" do democrats NOT understand????