Rangel: Don't Make Americans Choose Between Education and Healthcare

Press Release

Congressman Charles B. Rangel condemned House Republicans today for passing a bill that would cut funds for preventative healthcare screenings in order to pay for a measure that keeps interest rates on some student loans from doubling.

"The Republicans' war on women and vulnerable Americans must end," Rangel said. "The healthcare needs of millions of patients are too important to treat like pieces on a chessboard. House Republicans would rather engage in dangerous brinksmanship than work with Democrats for the sake of American students."

Although Rangel, President Barack Obama and the Democrats support freezing interest rates on subsidized federal loans at 3.4 percent, they fiercely object to paying for the subsidy out of the preventative healthcare fund. House Republicans have now twice thumbed their nose at President Obama, who threatened to veto the bill if it makes it to his desk.

In 2007, Congress passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which lowered the interest rate on federal student loans from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. But the law expires this July.

Added Rangel: "Paying for this bill is easy. If Congress were to close any number of loopholes that favor Wall Street or Big Oil it would pay for it ten times over. My Republican Colleagues need to prioritize the future of America's students instead of tax breaks for the wealthy. Average American families should not be forced to choose between their children's education and their own financial wellbeing."

Rep. Rangel co-sponsored the Student Loan Forgiveness Act, H.R. 4170, and The American College Tax Relief Act, H.R. 3826, which would take large steps towards making college affordable.

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