Somerville, MA – Consumer advocate and U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren today released the following statement on Congress’s agreement to extend the current interest rate on Subsidized Stafford Loans:

"I am glad Republicans in Congress finally agreed with Democrats that it was time to act to keep student loan interest rates from doubling. But in the last few months, the national Republicans have shown that they are willing to go to the mat to protect tax breaks for big oil companies and for billionaires while at the same time dragging their feet until the eleventh hour when college students’ futures are at stake. They held hostage the well-being of young people all across this country in order to keep their extremist pledges not to close tax loopholes. I think that’s wrong."

Warren had previously called on Brown to stand with Massachusetts students and families to prevent the interest rate increase, yet Brown repeatedly sided with Republican leaders, voting twice to block legislation to extend the current rate.