Pocan, UW Students and Administrators Call on the Senate to Immediately Reauthorize Perkins Loan Program

Statement

Today, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) stood with University of Wisconsin-Madison students and administrators to call on the Senate to immediately pass the Higher Education Extension Act of 2015 to prevent the Perkins Loan Program from lapsing any longer. Rep. Pocan introduced the Higher Education Extension Act of 2015, which passed the House, along with his colleague Rep. Bishop (R-MI). Despite Rep. Pocan's efforts in the House, the Senate blocked the bill and allowed the program to expire on September 30, 2015.

"There is no excuse for the Senate to let Perkins Loans expire and turn their back on the thousands of students all across the country who rely on them to make college accessible," said Rep. Mark Pocan. "Members of the House were able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to pass a reauthorization of the Perkins Loan program. By denying access to these low-interest loans, students and families are left with very few options to cover college expenses. With skyrocketing college tuition costs, Congress should be doing everything it can to ensure students can attend college without being weighed down with mountains of debt."

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