Across America, colleges and universities are lowering costs — and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.) is taking a victory lap.
From coast to coast, schools like Johns Hopkins University and UC Irvine are cutting the costs students have to pay for their degrees, and Cassidy — the Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) — is pointing to a series of provisions that he authored in the Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts (WFTC) as part of the reason why.
Among Cassidy’s legislative wins are reforms to the income-driven repayment system, which allow borrowers who make affordable payments to make progress on paying down their loans rather than being trapped with insurmountable debts. Cassidy also simplified student loan repayments to two plans — ending the previously complex web of plans that was confusing for borrowers to navigate.
Cassidy also helped reform the Pell Grant program, including the creation of workforce Pell Grants so that workers can take advantage of short-term programs that provide the skills needed for in-demand jobs. The Louisiana lawmaker also helped enhance the Pell Grant program that low-income undergraduate students rely on.
“The higher education system has failed Louisianans,” Cassidy explained to the Washington Reporter. “Students are graduating with degrees that won’t get them a job and debt that they can’t pay back. I’m committed to making life more affordable for Louisiana families. That’s why I led historic reforms in the Working Families Tax Cuts to lower college costs and increase job opportunities for workers.”
As Chair of the HELP Committee, Cassidy has regularly honed in on affordability issues that directly impact Louisianans, and on the campaign trail he has also focused directly on cost-of-living issues.
His legislative achievements in the WFTC also include significant reforms to student loan programs, helping ensure that the policies help borrowers at a time when cost-of-living is at the forefront of many across the country. Those Cassidy-led reforms include capping graduate loans to lower tuition prices and protect students debt.
They also include reforms to the student loan program so that it will continue to serve current and future generations, support for American families with a $50 per-child reduction in monthly student loan payment for borrowers enrolled in the Repayment Assistance Plan, and protections to prevent federal loans from supporting programs that leave students worse off.
Cassidy also scored a major win for fiscal hawks across America; his contributions to the WFTC saved taxpayers over $284 billion — the most savings of any Senate committee.
