Student loan overhaul seems likely to join Senate health-care bill

[jefferson_dem]

Student loan overhaul seems likely to join Senate health-care bill
By Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, March 11, 2010; 3:38 PM

Senate Democrats said Thursday that they are inclined to add an overhaul of the nation's student loan program to the final health-care bill.

The move would create a potential double victory for President Obama, who has championed both causes as among domestic priorities. And Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) said Thursday, "There was a stronger feeling for including" the education proposal. Some senators disagreed with the strategy, Durbin said, adding that a final decision has yet to be reached.

Under the student loan proposal, subsidies that now support private lenders would be shifted to other student assistance programs, including Pell Grants for families struggling to afford college tuition. "Some of the things accomplished here are really going to help a lot of people across America," Durbin said.

Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) had been one of the chief opponents of the maneuver, for fear that it would provoke procedural challenges from Republicans. But he said the Senate parliamentarian had suggested in a preliminary ruling that combining the bills could work, provided Senate Democrats strike the right balance on cost.

"I'd say yes, we're leaning toward it," Conrad said.

He added that advocates of the student loan proposal would have to pare it down before the provisions could be added.

<SNIP>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/11/AR2010031103144_pf.html

[NoNothing]

1. Why

If it is a good bill, then pass it on its own and get *something* done.

[flpoljunkie]

3. Because the R's and corporate Dems would block it outside of reconciliation. That's why.

[NoNothing]

4. If the student loan bill

Would get blocked outside of reconciliation, how does adding it to the health care bill, which has *already* been blocked outside of reconciliation, make either bill more likely to become law?

My impression is that there is a lot more support for the student loan bill, and they want to try to leverage that support to get the health care bill passed, risking neither getting passed. My opinion, they should pass the student loan bill on its own so they have some legislative momentum, something that people can point to for real middle class aid.

[Schema Thing]

5. how does that help me get health insurance?

It's not ALL about me, but it is about 30 million people in my situation, in addition to all of us who need the worst practices of the insurance companies stopped.

[NoNothing]

6. Why are you demanding

That the Congress pass nothing positive until HCR is done? If they can pass other bills now, pass them NOW! HCR should not hold other legislation hostage!

[Schema Thing]

9. I'm not. I'm suggesting that if this is good politics

that helps the HCR bill pass, do it!


And for god's sake, do both quickly so voters have some tangible *good* stuff from Democrats.

[Donnachaidh]

10. attaching the insurance industry bailout to the far more popular student loan bill

Gee -- I thought they already had the votes to pass the Insurance Bailout by itself. Guess they need to ladle even more lipstick on to that pig to make it palatable?

:rofl: :rofl:

[liberalpragmatist]

8. It's fairly common to merge reconciliation bills into one

If they don't include the college loan bill in the same reconciliation bill as the health care fixes, then from what I understand, they would probably have to wait until the new budget is passed and pass it after that, since the current budget expires in April. The concern is that if college loan reform isn't completed by then, there won't be time before the midterms for it to pass again.

That's why most reconciliation bills actually include multiple measures that are all written together.

But you're right that it *could* jeopardize overall passage. I just hope the whips in both houses know what they're doing. There is actually less support in the Senate for college loan reform than for the health care fixes, and the college loan bill only narrowly passed the House.

[flpoljunkie]

2. Excellent! Let Ben Nelson, Lincoln, others who stand with the banks vote with the banks!

And, see how well it goes over with their constituents.

[Cha]

7. Hope so!

[vaberella]

11. I hope so and support the measure so we can get it out of the way & I'm a happier student. n/t