The battle over refinancing student debt has been playing out-- badly-- in the Senate. Senate Republicans have filibustered Elizabeth Warren's bill so that it couldn't even be formally devoted on the floor.And in the House? Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman, John Kline, has bottled up the House version, H.R. 4582, proposed by John Tierney (D-MA) and cosponsored by 111 Members of Congress, although not even one Republican. He and House Ways and Means Committee chairman, Dave Camp (R-MI), won't even schedule hearings on the bill.Mike Obermueller, the progressive Democrat running for the southeast Minnesota seat Kline occupies, isn't letting him slide into reelection without being held accountable for his role in this catastrophe for so many millions of American families. "The facts," Obermueller told MN-02 voters, "are pretty clear-- Congressman Kline accepts hundreds of thousands of dollars from for-profit colleges and then turns around and opposes a proposal to make college more affordable for students. Congressman Kline is doing a superb job protecting for-profit education’s bottom line while he disregards what’s in student’s best interests-- that’s what’s wrong with Washington, D.C."During the 2012 election cycle, Kline took in more money from for-profit education PACs and special interests than any other Member of Congress $209,109. In fact, the only politician they gave more money to in 2012 was presidential candidate Mitt Romney ($292,983). By way of comparison, other shills who have been in the pockets of anti-student special interests have gotten far less in payoffs than Kline:
• John Boehner (R-OH)- $69,450• Scott Brown (R-MA/NH)- $54,500• Virginia Foxx (R-NC)- $53,918• Buck McKeon (R-CA)- $28,500• Eric Cantor (R-VA)- $24,000
All 5 combined-- including the Speaker and the Majority Leader-- got less than Kline! And so far this cycle, the same pattern is emerging. They have already pumped $117,650 into Kline's reelection campaign, more than double the crook in second place, Virginia Foxx ($50,250). And their greasy, shady PACs alone have also made Kline their top recipient this cycle-- $36,500-- just as they gave him the most in 2012 ($63,500). And, clearly, these special interests are who he's working for, not the middle class families in southeast Minnesota struggling to put their kids through college."As Chair of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, no one is in a better position to deal with exponentially growing student loan debt, yet Congressman Kline discounted the President’s proposal and continues to work against students," said Obermueller. "As a dad with two sons in college, Kline is working against me and every other middle class family that is trying to balance the sky-rocketing cost of education with the dream of sending their kids to school. Not only is education a valuable investment for our country, it also makes economic sense for our government to give graduates and young families a fighting chance at buying their first home or car or starting their own business without being burdened by crippling student loan debt."Blue America has endorsed Obermueller and if you'd like to help him replace Kline in Congress, here's where you can help.
