Last month Congress cut $12 billion out of student aid programs, and interest rates on parent and student loans are set to jump up this July, due to recent Congressional actions. Yet when the House begins its floor debate on the Higher Education Act (H.R. 609) on March 29, it will do little to make college more affordable [1].

According to an ad in Roll Call sponsored by the SEIU, AFSCME, Campaign For America's Future, the US Students Association, PIRG, Rock The Vote, and AACRAO [2], Congress should be making a college education more affordable by lowering interest rates on loans and increasing grants.