NRCC hits back on student loans

“Thinking about college? Think again. Kyrsten Sinema voted to raise student loan rates,” one version of the ad says.

The ads come a day after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee rolled out a paid Twitter campaign attacking House Republicans on the same issue.

Student loan rates are set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1 if Congress can’t agree on a plan.

House Republicans have pushed a plan that would allow varying interest rates based on current market conditions, with a cap at 8.5 percent.

{mosads}President Obama has also proposed allowing varying rates but has insisted on locking in those rates for the life of individual loans so students won’t be hit with ballooning rates, and also wants lower rates on subsidized loans. Some congressional Democrats have called for extending the current 3.4 percent interest rate for a year or two to allow Congress to come up with a better long-term solution.

Both sides are looking to score political points off the stalemate — and leverage the issue to appeal to younger voters and their parents and argue that the other party doesn’t have their interests at heart.