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Students tell Harkin about Stafford stalemate

Time is running out for students like Nikki Brammer. The Davenport woman, 26, plans to become a veterinarian. But with that dream comes a cost. She expects to t...

Time is running out for students like Nikki Brammer. The Davenport woman, 26, plans to become a veterinarian.

But with that dream comes a cost. She expects to tally up to $150,000 in student loans. And without a congressional deal for subsidized Stafford loans, it will cost her thousands more.

"That's a thousand dollars a year for every year that I'm in school," she said. "And I'm going to be in for eight years."

That's why Sen. Tom Harkin, (D) Iowa, came to Scott Community College. He says that something must be done to relieve the debt burden.

"72% of Iowa students have student loan debt," Sen Harkin said. "Believe it or not, it's the fourth highest in the nation."

The interest rate on these subsidized Stafford loans will double to 6.8% on July 1 without congressional action. It will hit students like Nikki right in the wallet.

It's a hot issue for President Obama. He led a recent discussion at the University of Iowa in the search for a solution.

It could affect more than 250,000 students in Iowa. Nikki Brammer worries about the future.

"Am I going to be done with my bachelor's because I'm going to have to go out and get a job to pay my student loans back?" she pondered.

A costly future that could be even more expensive.

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