Congresswoman Adams Supports Democrats’ Debt-Free College Plan

WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) released the following statement last Wednesday in support of the Aim Higher Act - a comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act that reflects Democrats’ vision for an accessible, affordable higher education system.

“As a college professor for more than 40 years, I have watched too many students discontinue their academic studies because of mounting student loan debt and the inability to finance their education. Our nation’s student loan debt now exceeds $1.5 trillion, second only to mortgage debt,” said Congresswoman Adams. “As a Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, I am proud to support the Aim Higher Act as an effective solution to our nation’s growing student debt crisis by providing students with the opportunity to pursue a debt-free college degree.”

“Unlike the Republican alternative, the PROSPER Act, this bill will ensure that institutions such as the now-defunct Charlotte School of Law can no longer prey on students. Additionally, Aim Higher will provide immediate relief for struggling students and families by increasing federal student aid, and incentivizing state investments in the UNC system,” Rep. Adams continued. “As Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, the first African American doctoral graduate of Harvard University once said, ‘Of all the civil rights for which the world has struggled and fought for 5,000 years, the right to learn is undoubtedly the most fundamental.’ The Aim Higher Act will ensure that all students seeking to continue their education at an institution of higher learning have the right to do so without debilitating debt standing in their way.”