Study highlights how Republican, Democratic lawmakers differ on student debt issues
A study released Thursday by LendEDU — a marketplace for student loan refinancing — reveals that Republican and Democratic lawmakers differ significantly on issues that affect student debt.
Democratic senators and representatives supported, on average, more student loan and college affordability initiatives than their Republican counterparts, according to an analysis by LendEDU.
The study measured lawmakers’ support of low student loan interest rates, Pell Grants, federal refinancing, loan forgiveness, financial literacy and tax benefits.
Locally, differences in support of these initiatives could be seen between U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., and U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev. According to the study, both support low student loan interest rates. However, Titus also has supported Pell Grants, federal student loan refinancing, and student loan forgiveness, the analysis showed.
The analysis also revealed that student loan borrowers from schools in states with two Republican senators have about 30 percent less debt from those with split representation.
In Titus’ district, the average student debt per borrower is $24,890; in Amodei’s district, the average is $21,775.
Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.