Marco Rubio Passionate About Affordable Education

(Newswire.net — September 3, 2016) Boca Raton, FL — Florida Senator Marco Rubio has made a career out of fighting for more affordable education for American college students.

Rubio is no stranger to student loan debt. When he graduated from law school in 1996, he owed $100,000 in student loans. As a young lawyer making about $50,000, he thought he had lots of money. But when his $1500 /month student loans were due, he just couldn’t afford them.

In a 2014 speech given at Miami-Dade College, “Making Higher Education Affordable Again”, Rubio describes how his student loan payment was his single largest expense. At one point he tried to manage them by paying only interest. He is also personally very familiar with forbearance and deferment. He knows first-hand the struggle of reaching milestones like marriage and home ownership when you have a mountain of student loan debt to repay. At one point early after graduation, he calculated he would be 50 years old before his student loan would be paid off.

Rubio’s first-hand experience with student loans has translated into a drive to make college more affordable for Americans while also improving university transparency and student loan repayment programs.

In 2013 Rubio, alongside Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), introduced the Right to Know Before You Go Act, a bill aimed at reforming statistical reporting of graduation rates, average loan debts, and earning potential for graduates to improve transparency. The bill never made it through Congress.

In 2014, Rubio and Warner tried again with the Dynamic Student Loan Repayment Act, a bipartisan bill looking to adjust student loan monthly payments based on income instead of a fixed amount. The goal was to help low-income or unemployed graduates avoid defaulting on their loans. However, the bill was not successful and became part of The Repay Act, backed by Senator Angus King (I-ME) and Richard Burr (R-NC). Rubio also co-sponsored another unsuccessful bill, Investing in Student Success Act, a bill intended to provide the legal structure for companies to provide financial support privately to college students.

While Rubio has yet to be victorious in passing a bill through Congress, it is clear he has a strong desire to improve the financial situation of college graduates. This passion could make him more appealing to younger voters in future elections, should he choose to pursue this path.

Rubio’s campaign was suspended on March 15, 2016, after coming in second in the primaries behind Donald Trump.

“The American Dream…..it’s the chance to get a good education and a job that allows you to achieve financial security and retire comfortably.  And it’s about leaving your children better off than yourself”, said Rubio in his 2014 Miami-Dade College speech.