PLEASANTVILLE – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D, NY17), convened a roundtable on college affordability and accessibility on Thursday and blasted Washington Republicans for their “partisan, mean-spirited” bill that she said would increase the cost of a college education.
Lowey told students and administrators at Pace University in Pleasantville that the climate in Washington has removed former efforts for both sides of the political aisle to work together to make college affordable.
“This used to be bipartisan in Washington and yet unfortunately House Republicans are currently pushing a partisan, mean-spirited bill that would cut $15 billion from federal student aid while increasing the cost of college,” she said.
Lowey said as of 2016, the average college student graduated with $37,000 in student debt and that could be a “financial obstacle” to their future.
She took aim at the GOP bill, the PROSPER Act, which she said would increase the cost of higher education by consolidating many currently available federal student loans into a more expensive loan for students.
The proposal “would cut federal student aid, thereby shrinking the talent pipeline into high-demand jobs that stimulate economic growth,” said Dr. Belinda Miles, president of Westchester Community College.
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