{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cline.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1107", "Rep. Ben Cline Hosts Roundtable with Higher Education Leaders on College Affordability at Blue Ridge Community College", "2022-10-25", "2022", "2022-10", "Republican", "House", "VA", "Ben Cline", "C001118", "cline.house.gov", "cline", "https://cline.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "WEYERS CAVE, VA \u2013 Today, Congressman Ben Cline (R-VA) hosted a higher education roundtable at the Blue Ridge Community College\u2019s Weyers Cave Campus with Blue Ridge Community College President Dr. John Downey on ways to make higher education more affordable and accessible, which was attended by representatives from eight schools throughout the Sixth District.\n\n\u201cVirginia\u2019s Sixth District is home to more institutions of higher education than nearly any other district in the country,\u201d Cline said. \u201cWith more than 20 colleges and universities within our borders, students from across the United States flock to the Sixth District to pursue their education. The challenge that remains is the high cost of tuition and what can be done to make higher education more affordable. Today, I heard from academic leaders and one thing was clear: we can find solutions to make college more affordable without passing student loan debt onto American taxpayers.\u201d\n\n\u201cCollege Presidents in the Shenandoah Valley are appreciative of the support of the federal government throughout the challenging times of the pandemic,\u201d President of Blue Ridge Community College Dr. John Downey said. \u201cCongressman Cline\u2019s annual meeting with College Presidents provides the opportunity to exchange ideas about how both public and private higher education institutions can continue to work together in support of federal and state goals for workforce development and economic growth.\u201d\n\nIn the 116th Congress, Congressman Cline served on the House Education and Labor Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Higher Education, and cosponsored the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act of 2019 (H.R. 4098), which revises requirements governing the financing and accreditation of postsecondary education. Congressman Cline also cosponsored the Education Savings Accounts for Military Families Act of 2019 (H.R. 1605), which directs the Department of Education (ED) to establish a tax-exempt Military Education Savings Account to provide children with parents on active duty in the uniformed services with funds to pay educational expenses.\n\nIn the 117th Congress, Congressman Cline recently cosponsored the Responsible Education Assistance through Loan (REAL) Reforms Act (H.R. 8655), which offers commonsense, fiscally responsible reforms that protects students, borrowers, and taxpayers. To read a one-pager on the bill, click here.\n\nCongressman Ben Cline represents the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia. He previously was an attorney in private practice and served both as an assistant prosecutor and Member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Cline and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Botetourt County with their two children.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:34:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cline.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1107"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8105569761246443, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}