WASHINGTON–With the imminent renewal of the Higher Education Act, the legislation governing federal higher education programs, policymakers are wondering which issues will garner support across the aisle. A panel – hosted by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, on Capitol Hill – gave a glimpse into one side of that equation, featuring conservative authors on higher education. 
The panel, called “Realistic Solutions to Big College Problems: Overhauling the Higher Education Act,” explored panelists’ hopes for higher education policy, largely focusing on college affordability with Dr. Neal McCluskey, director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, as moderator.
Panelists included Dr. Phil Magness, senior research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, Independent Institute Senior Fellow Dr. Richard Vedder, a distinguished professor of economics emeritus at Ohio University, and Cato Institute Senior Fellow Dr. Todd Zywicki, a George Mason University Foundation professor of law at the George Mason University law school.
The discussion opened with commentary by Sen. Rick Scott, former governor of Florida. As a low-income student who grew up in public housing, he said college costed him about $200 per semester.
“There’s no reason we can’t figure out how to do this less expensively,” Scott said.
He mentioned a series of bills he plans to file, including measures which would get rid of distinctions between for-profit and non-profit schools, hold higher education institutions responsible for paying a fraction of student loan defaults, cut off schools that raise tuition from federal funding, allow Pell grants to go toward technical schools and reduce regulations for private lenders.
Scott, among others, expressed skepticism about Democratic candidates’ proposals to forgive student loan debt, saying these plans would “bankrupt and destroy” the country if implemented.
