Pat Maher For Congress
ACTBLUE
Pat Maher, Democrat in NY-04 entered the race for Congress when the current Republican Representative voted in the 4th C. D. for the Debt Ceiling Limit Bill. The bill included a stop on the pause of repayments for student loan borrowers. The freshman Congressman wasn’t thinking of the thousands of constituents in his district who are burdened with student loan debt.
“In law school and graduate school, I am now a statistic of the student loan debt crisis that effects millions of Americans totaling $1.7 trillion in both private and federal loans," said Pat Maher.
With the cost of housing and food at an all-time high, an immediate entrance into repayment will be almost impossible for some recent graduates who are not making the “big” salaries that others in their field with more experience are making. The cost of education is much higher than it was years ago and the income of borrowers has not risen in proportion to that cost.
While the Biden administration has tried to tackle the program with a $10,000 student loan forgiveness program which is currently being litigated, the debt is still looming for most Americans. Economic insecurity for students and their parents who have incurred this debt has lead to growing income inequality and prevents individuals from qualifying for mortgages, putting money away for retirement and starting their own business. Students then pursue higher education to get equivalent returns incurring more debt.
While student debt disproportionately impacts those from under-represented groups, it effects everyone across the board. "We need corporate America to come on board to expand their hiring process by including benefits to help students pay-down their debt," said Maher. "As an incentive they would receive tax credits for their efforts." Other solutions include mandatory disclosure of the costs of a student's educational degree by universities prior to a student's start in college and increasing the Pell Grant limits.
4th C.D.
The 4th C.D. has been held by a Democrat since 1997, when Carolyn McCarthy and then Kathleen Rice held the seat as representatives in Congress. In 2022, when there was no incumbent, the Democratic Candidate lost this race to a Republican by nearly 10,000 votes. It’s a race we should have never lost. This is a targeted race and it is still winnable as long as voters have a reason to vote.
About Pat Maher
Pat Maher put herself through law school later in my life and achieved a J.D. from the Jacob D. Fuchsberg School of Law, Touro College. She is a two-time graduate of Hofstra University, with an LL.M. (Master of Laws) in Health Law and Policy and an M.A. in Humanities. Maher worked as an extern in the United States Attorney’s Office, researching laws on controlled substances and habeas corpus petitions. Pat Maher currently works as a sales and advertising director.