Braley: Congress is working to help students

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By Steven Martens | Saturday, January 27, 2007 1:06 AM CST | () comments

(Steven Martens/QUAD-CITY TIMES) U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, speaks with Clinton Community College student Christina Gautreaux on Thursday after his appearance at the college.

CLINTON, Iowa — U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, told students at Clinton Community College on Thursday that Congress is making progress in making higher education more affordable.

A bill passed by the House of Representatives last week will cut the interest rate on Stafford Loans in half over the next five years, which he said was one of several “common-sense bills” passed by House in the first days of the newly Democrat-controlled Congress.

Braley said bills to adopt the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, increase the federal minimum wage, expand stem-cell research and give Medicare the ability to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower drug costs also are examples of bills that have been passed by the House with bipartisan support.

The freshman 1st District congressman is making his first appearances in the Quad-City area since he was sworn in to office.

Clinton Community College was his first stop on a tour of eastern Iowa colleges to tout measures to make college more affordable and to make students aware of internship opportunities in his Washington, D.C., office and district offices in Davenport, Dubuque and Waterloo. He also will visit St. Ambrose University in Davenport at 8 a.m. today.

When a student asked him if the internships were paid, he said they weren’t but there could be some help with housing assistance because he knew from personal experience about the “sticker shock” involved in living in Washington.

Braley said other legislation is in the works that could benefit college students, including increasing the amount of Pell Grants and consolidating tuition tax credits to make them easier to use. He urged students to let the lawmakers know how important those measures are to them.

“Keep the pressure on,” he said.

Braley also fielded questions from students on other matters, including health care.

He said he believes Congress needs to move toward adopting some kind of program that will guarantee some level of medical insurance for every American.

“It is shameful that 47 million people don’t have access to health care in this country,” Braley said.

Student Christina Gautreaux of DeWitt said she asked Braley about his thoughts on health care because her husband’s medical problems took a toll on her family.

“We fall through the cracks a lot,” she said.

After his speech, Braley said he found some points of Tuesday’s State of the Union address encouraging, such as President Bush’s support of decreasing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and increasing use of renewable energy. But Braley said history suggests Bush may not follow through on those ideas.

“Although clearly the dynamics have changed with the new Congress,” Braley said.

Steven Martens can be contacted at (563) 659-2595 or smartens@qctimes.com.