First step to solving the student loan crisis

People in Oregon and across the country are struggling to make student loan payments. There are some federal programs already in place — but it's not enough.

We can support student loan borrowers who are struggling by making their repayments more affordable. It doesn't matter if you have six figures of debt or a few thousand — you are in crisis if you are not able to repay your loans. We know that those at the greatest risk of default are people with less than $10,000 in debt, and there’s more we can do to help them avoid default.

My proposal? Get and keep more borrowers in income-driven repayment plans.

Payments based on income make sense. This is about creating an upward path and preventing painful defaults that could follow people for the rest of their lives. It doesn’t benefit anyone if a borrower is forced to default on a loan — so let's fix it.

Simply put: repayment plans should be affordable so student loan borrowers can put food on the table, keep the lights on, and live with dignity.

A quality higher education shouldn’t be available only to the wealthy, and student loan repayment plans should not force people into poverty.