John Kline doesn't want to help students because he prefers partisanship

by: The Big E

Wed Jul 29, 2009 at 22:22:40 PM CDT

The legislation will eliminate direct lending between higher-education institutions and banks and instead have colleges and universities administer aid directly from the federal government - thereby freeing up $87 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office . Instead of rewarding banks for risky student-loan policies with government subsidies, the bill would put the money saved into the Pell Grant and Perkins loan funds, which will make more students eligible for the favorable loans and grants.
(MN Daily)

Kline as ranking member of the Party of No Republican on the Education Committee must oppose everything the Democrats do.  So what's his rationale?

The new CBO calculation, requested by Republicans, raises questions about plans by Obama and congressional Democrats to spend most of the projected savings on education programs and deficit reduction. Those proposals would cost taxpayers billions because the $87 billion in savings is a "myth," said Representative John Kline of Minnesota, the House Education and Labor Committee's senior Republican, who opposes the measure.
(Bloomberg)

Aha!  Kline claims it is a myth.  Like when his fellow knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers prove evolution is just a "theory" or when people in the reality-based world use facts to prove their case?

Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, the Senate Budget Committee's senior Republican, had asked CBO to adjust its projection to include the market-risk cost -- the prospect that student-loan defaults over 10 years will exceed the default rate used in CBO's standard procedure for calculating the value of loans. CBO used a similar methodology in estimating the Troubled Asset Relief Program's budget impact, Gregg said today in an e- mailed statement.

"I'm pleased that CBO has told Congress what it needs to know about the real economic and budgetary impact" of Obama's proposal, Gregg said.

Wait a sec ... so the Party of No guys asked the CBO to recalculate in a way that would prove their case?  Whats the word for that?  Ghhh ... it's on the tip of my tongue ... Enron did it ...

Committee Democrats said Republicans were trying to "cook the books" by asking CBO to ignore current student-loan market conditions. Yesterday's letter didn't change the official projection of $87 billion in savings over 10 years, they said.

"It's clear that Republicans didn't like the truth -- that our legislation generates almost $90 billion that could be used to help students, families, and taxpayers -- so they shamelessly decided to have a little fun with the numbers," Committee Chairman George Miller, a California Democrat who sponsored the House bill that includes Obama's proposal, said in a statement.

Yea.  That's the phrase.  "Cook the books."  Thanks, Rep. Miller.