In this May 17, 2018, file photo, new graduates line up before the start of the Bergen Community College commencement at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. There’s no single policy or action that will alleviate America’s $1.74 trillion student loan debt crisis while simultaneously preventing students from taking on unaffordable amounts of future debt. Higher education financing experts are divided on the exact combination of solutions, but all agree it will require a multipronged approach.
Hundreds of congressional staffers have student loans, Insider has learned.AP Photo/Seth Wenig
  • Nearly 360 high-ranking congressional staffers have student loans.
  • About half would be debt-free if Democrats canceled $50,000 per borrower.
  • Some have been paying off loans for over three decades.

As part of the exhaustive Conflicted Congress project, Insider reviewed thousands of financial-disclosure reports for top-ranking staffers to determine whether they have student-loan debt — a topic of significant debate on Capitol Hill.

Here's what Insider discovered, by the numbers:

Overall

  • Total number of House staffers (Legistorm estimate): 10,832
  • Total number of Senate staffers: 6,804
  • High-ranking House staffers who filed timely 2020-21 financial disclosures (Insider analysis): 1,223
  • High-ranking Senate staffers who filed timely 2020-21 financial disclosures: 964
  • Total high-ranking House and Senate staffers with outstanding student-loan debt: 356 
  • Total number of outstanding student loans (combined): 512 

Financials

  • Over $250,001 in student-loan debt: 44
  • Between $100,001 and $250,000 in student-loan debt: 73
  • Between $50,001 and $100,000 in student- loan debt: 71
  • Between $15,001 and $50,000 in student-loan debt: 110
  • Under $15,000 in student-loan debt: 51
  • Longest-held student loan: 32 years
  • Most student loans taken in a single year: 7 (2012)
  • Most student loans carried by one person: 11 (2007-09) 
  • Longest gap between taking student loans: 18 years (1997, 2015)
  • Borrowers taking multiple student loans in a single year: 38
  • Borrowers taking student loans two or more years in a row: 33
  • Lowest agreed-upon student-loan rate: 0.125% (30 years)
  • Highest agreed-upon student-loan rate: 11.71% (15 years)

Existing student loans by decade

  • 1980s: 1
  • 1990s: 17
  • 2000s: 197
  • 2010s: 278
  • 2020s: 18

Political alignment with student-loan debt

  • House Democratic staffers: 120 
  • House Republican staffers: 88
  • Nonpartisan committee staffers: 15 
  • Senate Democratic staffers: 63 
  • Senate Republican staffers: 70 
  • Works for House or Senate leaders: 38
  • Works for a congressional committee with jurisdiction over student-debt relief: 23

Student-loan debtors by job title (in descending order of frequency)

  • Chief of staff: 88
  • Chief counsel: 27
  • Professional staff: 27
  • Deputy chief of staff: 17
  • Legislative director: 17
  • Counsel: 16
  • Communications director: 13
  • General counsel: 13
  • Staff director: 12
  • Senior advisor: 11
  • Deputy staff director: 10

Student-loan debtors by state delegation (in descending order of frequency)

  • California: 40
  • New York: 20 
  • Michigan: 14
  • Florida: 13
  • Texas: 13
  • North Carolina: 12
  • Illinois: 11
  • South Carolina:11
  • Washington: 11
  • Alabama: 10
  • Georgia: 10
  • Kentucky: 9
  • Pennsylvania: 9
  • Oregon: 8
  • Virginia: 8
  • Arizona: 7
  • Iowa: 7
  • Louisiana: 7
  • New Jersey: 7
  • Vermont: 7
  • Idaho: 6
  • Minnesota: 6
  • Mississippi: 6
  • Oklahoma: 6
  • Wisconsin: 6
  • Massachusetts: 5
  • Missouri: 5
  • Ohio: 5
  • Tennessee: 5
  • Colorado: 4
  • Kansas: 4
  • New Hampshire: 4
  • New Mexico: 4
  • Rhode Island: 4
  • Utah: 4
  • West Virginia: 4
  • Connecticut: 3
  • Delaware: 3
  • Maryland: 3
  • Montana: 3
  • Nevada: 3
  • South Dakota: 3
  • Indiana: 2
  • Maine: 2
  • Nebraska: 2
  • Alaska: 1
  • Arkansas: 1
  • Hawaii: 1
  • North Dakota: 1
  • Wyoming: 0

"High-ranking staffers" include congressional aides who earn at least $132,552 a year. Such staffers are required to file annual financial disclosures with congressional officials. 

Those who earn less are not required to file such financial disclosures — meaning there could be thousands of additional student-loan-debt-laden staffers toiling on Capitol Hill.

Read the original article on Business Insider