Once a clear path to the American Dream, college is now out of reach for many families. And those who do attend often leave with tens of thousands of dollars in student debt. Today, Americans cumulatively owe more than $1.5 trillion in student debt. Senator Durbin supports increased investments in traditional federal financial aid programs like Pell Grants while encouraging colleges to keep costs down, including through improved accountability and investing in new technologies like open textbooks. Senator Durbin has worked to provide relief to the millions of Americans struggling to repay their student loan debt, which prevents them from starting families, buying houses and cars, or even retiring.

For-profit colleges enroll just nine percent of all post-secondary students, but account for 34 percent of all federal student loan defaults. These companies charge too much and often lure students into enrolling with false or misleading promises. Students are left buried in debt with a degree that employers don’t recognize. Recently, many for-profit colleges have collapsed under the weight of years of fraud—leaving students stranded and taxpayers holding the bag.  Senator Durbin has worked to hold these companies and their executives accountable for exploiting students and fleecing taxpayers while fighting for debt relief for the students they’ve harmed.

All children deserve affordable, high-quality early learning and care regardless of the income bracket of their parents. Children’s brains grow at a rapid pace in the earliest years—making these years critical for healthy development. As a nation, we can’t afford to turn our backs on the development of any child, which is why Senator Durbin has fought for increased access to early learning and care for all children.