SPEAKER BOEHNER REPORT 06/22/2013

Weekly GOP Address: Kline Keeps Pressure on President, Senate Dems to Stop Student Loan Rate Hike

Posted by Mike Ricci | June 22, 2013 | Permalink

For the third week running, the Republican address focuses on protecting millions of student-loan borrowers from an interest rate hike that is now just days from taking effect.  Delivering the address is Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the House Education & the Workforce Committee and the author of House-passed legislation that stops this rate hike and provides long-term stability to students and their families.  Unfortunately, Senate Democrats have failed to take action on this or any other solution, leading Chairman Kline to say, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they are content to let rates double.”  The address closes with Chairman Kline urging President Obama to lead and persuade members of his party to do the right thing for students and their families.    There are several ways you can check out the Weekly Republican Address: ·      Watch the video on YouTube. ·      Listen to the audio on GOP.gov. ·      Read the transcript right here on Speaker.gov. For now, here are some excerpts from early coverage of the address: “Student loan rates must stay low, Republicans say.  With about a week to go before interest rates jump on certain types of student loans, Republicans are again calling on the White House and Senate Democrats to approve a plan that would avert the spike.  ‘Senate Democrats have actively blocked the president's plan and refuse to consider ours,’ Rep. John Kline on Minnesota said in Saturday's Republican weekly address. ‘In fact, they have yet to pass a solution of any kind.  If I didn't know any better, I would say they are content to let rates double.’” (CNN, 6/22/13) “House GOP ratchets up battle with Senate over student loan rates.  House Republicans on Saturday stepped up the battle over student loans by accusing Senate Democrats of blocking a GOP plan to keep interest rates from doubling.  ‘With time running out, the House of Representatives is the only chamber of Congress that has acted to solve this problem,’ said Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said in Saturday’s weekly Republican address.  … Kline slammed Senate Democrats for opposing the House bill and called on Obama to put pressure on the upper chamber. … Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) sent a letter to Obama in the past week asking him to resolve the stalemate.  ‘This 11th-hour scrambling is a perfect demonstration of why we need to take the politics out of student loans once and for all,’ he said.” (The Hill, 6/22/13) “In the Republican address, Rep. John Kline of Minnesota says Obama must show leadership to avoid an impending hike on student loan interest rates.  He said it's fortunate that Obama and House Republicans agree on the issue and have both proposed plans that would tie interest rates to the market.  He accused Senate Democrats of blocking each plan.  ‘If I didn't know any better, I would say they are content to let rates double,’ Kline said. ‘This eleventh-hour scrambling is a perfect demonstration of why we need to take the politics out of student loans once and for all.’” (Associated Press, 6/22/13) “Representative John Kline, Republican of Minnesota, accused Senate Democrats of actively blocking the president’s plan to hold down student loan interest rates and refusing to consider the one his party proposed.  ‘If I didn’t know any better, I would say they are content to let rates double,’ he said. ‘This 11th-hour scrambling is a perfect demonstration of why we need to take the politics out of student loans once and for all.’” (The New York Times, 6/22/13) “Representative John Kline of the state of Minnesota said the president must show leadership to avoid a July 1 rate hike on student loans.  Kline blamed Senate Democrats for blocking plans by both Obama and Republicans in the House of Representatives.” (VOA News, 6/22/13)