Like many who support financial aid reform, I'm tentatively happy about H.R. 3221 making it through the House. It's not enough, and it fails to address some of the fundamental issues of financial aid reform, but it's a start. That said, maybe I'm paranoid, but something doesn't quite add up about this ACORN rider.
For one, the man who sponsored the rider has a well-documented history of cozying up with the student loan companies.
Now, for a few days now, Representative Dan Burton (R-IN) has been calling for ACORN to be defunded. In fact, a few early reports (which have since been taken down) indicated that he was one of the co-sponsors on the ACORN rider.
Mr. Burton has also been one of the loudest voices against H.R. 3221 - part of which makes sense, after all, since Sallie Mae employs thousands of his constituents (although one has to wonder how many of his constituents either have or will have student loans). Meanwhile Representative John Boehner (R-OH), who has received over $40,000 in donations from the Sallie Mae PAC and has been cited as for his extremely close ties to student loan companies, has been strangely quiet.
Mr. Boehner sponsored the ACORN rider today in language that was similar to what Mr. Burton has been saying for days. Meanwhile, Representative Burton has already received $5,000 from Mr. Boehner's pet PAC for the 2010 election.
Now, political contributions and favors are hardly new in D.C. But there's something here that is suspicious.
Here's what it comes down to: why attach the ACORN rider to H.R. 3221? These guys don't want H.R. 3221 to pass. Given the wide margin by which the rider did pass (345-75 compared to 253-171 for Student Loan Reform), I'd be surprised if they thought it would sink the bill. More than that, they probably could have gotten the ACORN defunding to pass alone without much debate and without attaching to something that is detrimental to both of their careers. Now, maybe this was just a way to get attention away from a bill they otherwise hate or wanted an easy way to defund ACORN. But if that's the case, they let H.R. 3221 pass relatively easily and without much of a fight.
Which brings me to the real question: What's now added that will derail H.R. 3221?
Note: All donation numbers come from OpenSecrets.org.
