Photo Banyolan Tinju

Funding for the Federal Direct Student Loan Program has decreased from just over $7 billion in 2006 to $509 million budgeted for 2008.
Democrats made more student-favorable Direct Loan terms part of their platform, which contributed to their retaking Congress in 2006.
In comparison, other countries have also experimented with government-sponsored loan programs. New Zealand, for instance, now offers 0% interest loans to students (retroactive for all former students who had government loans), who can pay their loans back as a percentage of income after they graduate. This program was a Labour Party promise in the 2005 general election.