ROMNEY IN FAVOR OF EXTENDING LOW INTEREST RATES ON STUDENT LOANS...

In a press conference (Politico) at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney came out in favor of extending low interest rates on student loans in an appeal to young voters, many of whom are facing economic uncertainty.

Romney after a speech in Pennsylvania made a detour back to the microphone stating;

“There’s one thing I want to mention that I forgot to mention … with the mention of the number of college graduates that can’t find work or that can only find work well beneath their skill level, I fully support the effort to extend the low interest rate on student loans,” he said. “There was some concern that that would expire halfway through the year and I support extending the temporary relief on interest rates for student … in part because of the extraordinarily poor conditions in the job market.”

Minutes later, Romney’s press shop emailed reporters the text of Romney’s statement on the student loan interest rate reduction.

The statement comes as a July 1 deadline approaches on a 2007 student-loan interest rate cap by a Democratic Congress. House Republican leadership has yet to announce whether it supports extending the cap, though House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) said Friday that he opposes the current proposal.

“I have serious concerns about any proposal that simply kicks the can down the road and creates more uncertainty in the long run — which is what put us in this situation in the first place,” Kline said a statement posted to the committee’s website. “My colleagues and I are exploring options in hopes of finding a responsible solution that serves borrowers and taxpayers equally well.”

Michael Steel, the spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, declined to take a position on the proposal Monday.

“The rising cost of tuition is a serious problem for students and their families, so it’s unfortunate that Washington Democrats put in place a law that would double student loan rates,” Steel said. “That’s why Republicans and Democrats on both sides of Capitol Hill will be working on this issue in the coming months.”

Romney’s position also is slightly at odds with his past campaign statements on the cost of higher education. On the eve of Super Tuesday, Romney told a teenager in Youngstown, Ohio, who asked about high tuition rates that he should shop around.

“The best thing I can do for you is to tell you to shop around, and to … compare tuition in different places,” Romney said March 5. “And make sure that you’re getting the education you want for the cost that you want. Make sure that you get your degree in four years — or less.”

Of choosing a college, Romney said then: “Go to one that has a little lower price, where you can get a good education,” he said. “And hopefully you’ll find that. And don’t take on too much debt. And don’t expect the government to forgive the debt that you take on — recognize that you have to pay it back.”