Student Loan - Loans and Debt Consolidation

WILL DEMS ADD STUDENT LOAN TAKEOVER TO OBAMACARE HOT AIR BLOG

Will Dems add student-loan takeover to ObamaCare?

Senate Democratic leaders have decided to pair an overhaul of federal student lending with healthcare reform, according to a Democratic official familiar with negotiations.

It s going in, said the Democratic source, in reference to the student lending measure.

But leaders may have to reverse themselves if they receive strong pushback from Democratic colleagues who represent states where lenders employ hundreds of constituents.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid D-Nev. said no final decision has been made.

We re still looking at the options, Manley said.

The only way this makes sense is if the Democrats want an excuse for a failure to pass ObamaCare. Some of the Democrats supporting the health-care bill already oppose the nationalization of the student-loan industry. Adding them together won t increase support for either program, but more likely will decrease support for a bill that s already choking on its own massive size.

Why does Reid need to twin these bills? He doesn t have 60 votes to get to a floor vote. Instead, he wants to use reconciliation, but pulling out that card again in this cycle will be a political loser. Combining the bills means Democrats only have to take a political beating over its use once.

The Wall Street Journal reminds Senators just how bad this bill will be:

The net loss to taxpayers isn t limited to $10 billion. A...[more]