senator from massachusetts. ms. warren: i want to thank senator durbin and senator reed for their extraordinary leadership on this important issue. i also rise today to talk about the crushing burden that student debt places on our college students and our economy and call on congress to address it. the core facts are well known to every family in america. in recent decades, college costs have skyrocketed. adjusted for inflation a young person today pays 300% of what her parents paid just 30 years ago. millions of young people, the only way to cover this tuition cost is to take on huge debt. the average student loan balance among 25-year-olds who borrow has grown by 91% in just ten years. total outstanding student loan debt stands at a staggering $1.2 trillion, and it's getting