Throughout my career as a legislator, increasing access to higher education and improving college affordability have been among my top priorities. I remain as committed to these issues today as when I served as Chair of the Higher Education Committee in the Florida Legislature.

For America to prosper, we must strike the appropriate balance regarding budget cuts and making critical investments in our future. Attempting to balance our budget on the backs of students is neither ethical nor the way for America to remain competitive in a global marketplace. If we expect young people to seek out the training they need to succeed, we must do what we can to make sure these opportunities are accessible and affordable, and that our students will enter the job market free of the burden of unreasonable debt.

I will continue to support robust funding for Pell grants and have supported legislation to provide college students with loans at low rates, including supporting legislation that would allow students to refinance their loans at the same low rates available to new borrowers. These student loans are helping make school affordable for students and their families, and are part of what I hope will be a comprehensive effort from all stakeholders to keep college costs down.

As Congress continues our work on a secure fiscal future for our nation, I will be working to protect funding and accessibility to these critical investments in America’s students. Allowing our students to graduate with a better education and less debt is the best way to insure that America remains competitive long into the future.