In Minot, Heitkamp Calls on House to Prevent Student Loan Rates From Doubling
With Rates Set to Double July 1, Heitkamp Joins Minot State Students, Pam Gulleson in Calling for Rate Fix
Minot, N.D. – With less than a week until student loan rates are set to double, former North Dakota Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Heidi Heitkamp called on the U.S. House today not to delay a fix to keep student loan rates from doubling at a roundtable discussion with students at Minot State University. She was joined by House candidate Pam Gulleson.
“I worked my way through college on student loans, and think it is shameful that the government is borrowing at less than 2 percent, and prepared to charge students 6.8 percent for student loans,” said Heiktamp. “Both sides need to stop with the partisan games and scoring the political points, and stop these student loan rates from doubling.”
According to the Project on Student Debt, the average amount of student loan debt for Minot State students was $20,272 in 2010, the most recent year available. 76 percent of students who graduated had student debt. Across North Dakota, a rate increase means that 22,000 students in North Dakota face the prospects of another $951 in student loan debt.
Background:
- Berg/Ryan Budget Means North Dakota Students Lose Aid: Under the Berg/Ryan Budget North Dakota loses $6 million in Pell Grant funds. The Berg/Ryan budget slashes the nation’s commitment to higher education by $115 billion over the next decade. Across the country, 9.6 million students would see their funding cut.
About Heidi:
Today, as a director of the Dakota Gasification synfuels plant, she’s a champion for North Dakota’s energy industry. Heidi believes we need to use all of North Dakota’s rich energy resources wisely, creating and keeping high-paying jobs right here. Heidi says it’s time to put country first, put politics aside and work together to cut government spending, balance the budget, create jobs and get our economy back on track—while protecting North Dakotans.
Heidi lives in Mandan with her husband, Dr. Darwin Lange, a family practitioner, their golden retriever Copper, and their elderly tabby cat, Sport. They have two grown children, Ali and Nathan.
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