[Page H3622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        STUDENT LOAN DEBT CRISIS

  (Ms. DEAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, our student loan debt crisis predates the 
pandemic. We encourage high school students to attend college, to claim 
their education, yet too many graduates are shackled with a mountain of 
debt that limits their future, impedes their financial freedom, and 
diminishes their purchasing power. The pandemic has only worsened this 
problem.
  During this pandemic, we owe it to a generation of debt-laden young 
people, veterans, and transitioning adults to take bold action, to pass 
meaningful debt forgiveness. Freeing up the ability to claim an 
education without crushing debt will be a relief to so many Americans 
and our economy.
  An educated public should enrich us all, not create unsustainable 
debt. So I call upon this body to pass bold and meaningful debt 
forgiveness for millions of bright young people so that their futures 
are determined not by the debt they incurred but by the knowledge they 
gained.

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