House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) issued the following joint statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on federal student loan interest rates:
Today’s GAO report makes it clear that Congress was exactly right to tie student loan interest rates to market rates, because that is the fairest way to ensure the loans don’t overcharge either students or taxpayers. The Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act cut interest rates for undergraduate loans nearly in half and made all student loans cheaper, simpler, and more certain.
The Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act (also known as the Smarter Solutions for Students Act) included a provision directing the GAO to provide information on issues related to the cost of federal student loans. Specifically, the report was intended to help members of Congress determine whether there was an ideal federal student loan interest rate that would ensure the government could cover Direct Loan costs without generating excess revenue.
