Providing For Consideration Of H.R. 3221, Student Aid And Fiscal Responsibility Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

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Ms. FOXX. I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to thank my colleague from Colorado for yielding me time to discuss this bill.

During the month of August, people all over this country spoke out against the government takeover of our health care system. They are fed up with increased spending, increased long-term deficits and debt, and want to reduce the role of government in our lives. This bill does just the opposite of that.

I complimented my colleague from California Mr. Miller, yesterday, in a kind of a backhanded way, by saying that he has come up with very, very good titles for the bills that he has been handling in this session. The titles do just exactly the opposite of what the bills do. This bill is called Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, and to a person who hasn't spent time reading it or thinking about it, that sounds like a good thing to do. However, this bill and, of course, the rule, which we are debating today, aren't fiscally responsible and this is not the way we should be going.

As I listened to my colleague speak today, I was impressed by the paternalistic attitude that is represented by this bill and by the comments being made by our colleagues: It's going to give more freedom to people. It's going to ensure that community colleges do such and such. It's going to close the achievement gap.

Would that the government had that kind of power. Would that money alone do that kind of thing. That's not what this bill is going to do, and this rule needs to be voted down.

This bill was passed out of the House Committee on Education and Labor by a vote of 30-17. It eliminates the Federal Family Education Loan Program and shifts all student loans to a government-run system under the Direct Loan Program. In addition, the bill creates nine new programs and increases the Federal Government takeover of early education, higher education, school construction, and more. It is an insidious intrusion into education at all levels by the Federal Government, and it doesn't deserve to be passed by this House.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I know that sometimes we are all given to a little hyperbole here on the floor, but the comment from my distinguished colleague from California that this would be absolutely no cost to taxpayers, if there is anybody listening to this who believes that, I am going to find some swamp land in New Mexico to sell them.

We know that the estimates are that 40,000 jobs are going to be lost in the private sector as a result of this bill. So tell me, who is going to be administering this program? Right now the Direct Loan Program covers 20 percent of the loans that are given out. So is the Department of Education going to absorb this workload? I doubt that. Are they not going to ask for more help to be able to administer the other 80 percent?

In terms of debts, we keep hearing about people who are graduating from college with so much debt. Where is the issue of personal responsibility that we keep hearing so much about from the President. Debt is a personal responsibility. There is no reason for anybody in this country to graduate from college with $50,000 worth of debt.

And it is pretty good business for the government to be in because we can borrow money cheaper than the private sector can: that sounds like the argument that established Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And we do know where that has led us.

Last but not least, I guess it is going to be hundreds of years before our colleagues stop blaming every ill in this country on the Bush-Cheney administration.

I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline), the ranking member of the Education Committee.

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