Senator Bernie Sanders is calling on Congress to keep interest rates charged on some federal student loans from doubling.
If Congress doesn't act, the interest rate charged on some student loans would increase from 3.4 to 6.8 percent on July 1.
In a floor speech in the Senate Wednesday, Sanders said increasing the rates would be a disaster for millions of students and their families.
He says Congress should at least keep the rates at the lower level. In the long term he says the Higher Education Act should guarantee that students will be able to attend college without being "burdened by crippling loans."
On Tuesday, Congressman Peter Welch made a similar call to keep student loan interest rates low.
