In a new video, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., discussed the issue of skyrocketing student loan debt. The video addresses a few questions and comments Wyoming constituents sent him during the past couple weeks through Facebook and Twitter, from phone calls to his D.C. and Wyoming offices, and from email and written letters.

Student Loan Debt

“I understand that it’s getting more and more difficult to finance higher education. We have a real advantage being in Wyoming. Wyoming has the Hathaway Scholarships. If you get good grades and you stay out of trouble, there’s some available for University of Wyoming, community colleges, or tech schools, and those can be a tremendous help. Wyoming has actually lower rates than most of the other states.”

“We should not have the government making money off of student loans. Of course, most people don’t realize that the student loan rate was set so that there would be a differential between what the government borrows it for and what the students would have to pay it, and that was to go to Obamacare…So our side of the aisle came up with an idea that it ought to be cut in half…And we got that passed not as a 6 month deal or a 1 year deal, but we got that passed as a permanent deal.

 “There’s not going to be any silver bullet that will take care of all of this, but we are concerned about education. I’m trying through the Higher Education Act to simplify the way that the forms have to be filled out for you to get there, and so that there’s full disclosure of what your costs are going to be as you go there, so that you can see if you can afford it…But it is important to take a look at what that’s going to cost, so if you’ve got any suggestions for ways to make it better for students, I’m into that.”

Senator Enzi records “Collecting Common Sense from Wyoming for Washington” videos every other week when the Senate is in session. He encourages Wyoming residents to continue sharing their thoughts, ideas, and questions and he will address as many of the topics as possible. For individual responses, constituents should email him through his web page – www.enzi.senate.gov.