Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) helped a group of Democrats in Congress introduce a resolution to ensure students who attend a public college can leave debt-free.
According to the Huffington Post, Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) joined Warren in unveiling the resolution to the Senate. Meanwhile, Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) did the same at the House of Representatives.
Warren has been an outspoken critic of the U.S. Education Department's (ED) lack of oversight regarding its biggest student loan servicers. On numerous occasions she has called for the ED to sever ties with the lenders over allegations that they were cheating borrowers.
The lawmakers' resolution aims to cut borrowing out of the picture by improving what schools can offer in financial aid, as well as decrease tuition and the time most students spend earning a degree.
"When students graduate with loads of debt, the ripple effects are endless; they're less likely to start a business, to buy a house, and to realize their full potential," Schumer said in a statement unveiling the resolution. "When it comes to making college affordable, I'm hopeful that debt-free college is the next big idea."
Both the White House and the College Board placed the average college graduate's student loan debt between $25,000 and $30,000, a figure Warren called "crushing."
In addition to his divisive college rating system, President Barack Obama also announced a proposal to make community college free earlier this year. Both are efforts like the one announced Tuesday in that they aim to make college accessible and affordable for everyone.
Said Warren, "Our country should be investing in higher education and working with colleges and universities to bring down tuition costs so that students don't have to take on crushing debt to get an education."
