Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) voted against the House Republican legislation which would have raided funding for preventative health care, to keep federal student loan rates from doubling.   His comments can be viewed here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcRRHY9MkcE&feature=youtu.be

“I will never understand how my Republican colleagues can excuse taking money from cancer screenings, to help students go to college, while fighting tooth and nail to keep lucrative tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and Big Oil.  The tone deaf nature of their arguments is offensive to anyone who has had to struggle to go to college, or who does not have endless resources to afford the best doctors in the country.  Why they continually believe budgetary issues have to fall on the backs of working families, low-income women, and students instead of asking those who can most afford to pay more to chip in their fair share, is beyond comprehension,” said Rep. Engel.

The interest rate on new subsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans for undergraduate students is set to double from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1.  Students will save approximately $1,000 over the course of their loans with the lower rate.  To pay for this the House Republican Majority voted to repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund, created to help prevent diseases and manage conditions before they become more severe and more costly to treat. This not only saves substantial amounts of money, but also saves lives. 

“The Prevention Fund is especially helpful for women as it provides for screenings for breast and cervical cancer, two of the deadliest diseases for women.   The Fund originally received bipartisan support, but is now another target in the GOP’s unending attacks on the Affordable Care Act and women.  They have again prioritized their political desire to overturn this landmark law over the needs of the American people.  Senate Democrats managed to find a way to close corporate tax loopholes to pay for the rate reduction, and I urge more of my colleagues in the House to do the same.  We must act for our next generation, but we need to work together to do so.  The American people expect us to put politics aside over such matters where we all essentially agree,” said Rep. Engel.

###