Hillary Clinton’s replacement as New York’s junior senator has vowed to help improve higher education and the economy in New York state.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, is “a strong advocate to keep higher education more affordable for middle-class families,” according to Rachel McEneny, the senator’s press secretary.
McEneny said Gillibrand’s new federal position will increase her ability to make higher public education more affordable. This should come as a relief due to the increased tuition costs many schools, including Binghamton University, have been faced with. Gillibrand wants to make Stafford loans, in particular, more available to college students, McEneny said.
Gillibrand is being welcomed by school officials, and the city of Binghamton itself.
“The University has worked well with former Sen. Clinton and her staff, and is looking forward to working closely with Sen. Gillibrand,” BU President Lois DeFleur said.
City of Binghamton spokesman Andrew Block said the city is also very excited about the arrival of the new senator as a representative in Washington, D.C.
“Gillibrand will be a great asset to the economic development in this region given the trouble faced,” he said.
Block said they are especially interested in the senator’s help with the current American Recovery and Economic Reinvestment Bill.
According to the Web site for the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives, the purpose of the bill includes helping “job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment and energy efficiency.”
Overall, Block said the city is “hoping for the senator to have a positive impact on the community.”
DeFleur said she is excited for Gillibrand’s arrival because “over the past four years as a congresswoman, Kirsten Gillibrand has been very supportive of higher education.”
Sen. Gillibrand has been a strong supporter of higher public education since her appointment as congresswoman to the 20th Congressional District in 2007.
As a congresswoman, McEneny said, Gillibrand has also been very supportive of increasing tax deductibility for loans toward higher public education.
According to Gillibrand’s Web site, her record as a congresswoman has been extensive with her belief that “increasing access to higher education strengthens the middle class and makes America more competitive in the global economy.”
Gillibrand was also a strong advocate of the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007, which increased the value of Pell Grants, cut interest rates on student loans and provided tuition assistance to students. This Act was the largest increase in college aid since the 1944 G.I. Bill, and boosted college financial aid by $18 billion over the course of the last five years, according to the Web site.