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A look at the candidates for House leadership

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s defeat this week in a primary election in Virginia has ignited a race among lawmakers who’d like to have his GOP leadership job. And Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s decision to try to move up to majority leader from his current job as whip has created another contest. Votes are scheduled for next Thursday for majority leader, the No. 2 job behind Speaker John Boehner, and for majority whip, the No. 3 party post.

A look at those in the running:

MAJORITY LEADER CANDIDATES

KEVIN MCCARTHY

McCarthy, 49, is from Bakersfield at the southern end of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley. His start in politics was as an intern for longtime Republican congressman and Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas, whose seat McCarthy now holds. McCarthy also served in the California state Assembly, where he was the Republican leader.

McCarthy was first elected to Congress in 2006 and was elected whip, the third-ranking post, after the 2010 midterm elections in which Republicans retook control of Congress. He is an affable political junkie who can reel off statistics about districts and election returns. His whip operation has won praise but also generated mixed results as he and other leaders struggled to hold their fractious GOP caucus together.

McCarthy represents a district with changing demographics, including many Latinos. He and his wife, Judy, have two children.

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PETE SESSIONS

Sessions, 59, a native of Waco, Texas, is chairman of the House Rules Committee that sets the terms of debate for legislation on the House floor. He is seen as allied with Boehner but is presenting himself as the harder-charging conservative in the race. Sessions spent years in the private sector, working for 16 years for what was then Southwestern Bell before his election to Congress in 1996. Sessions also has served as head of the House Republicans’ campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee, where he helped lead the GOP to retake the House in 2010.

Sessions, an Eagle Scout, is married to Karen Sessions and has two sons and three step-sons. He represents North Dallas. Sessions considered running against McCarthy for the whip’s post in 2010, so their race is something of a rematch.

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WHIP CANDIDATES

Rep. Steve Scalise (skuh-LEES’), 48, is the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of more than 160 GOP lawmakers considered the most conservative in the House. Underscoring Scalise’s insistence on fiscal discipline was his January 2013 vote against Hurricane Sandy aid because the crafters of the legislative package failed to offset spending with budget cuts. It was an unusual vote for a Louisiana congressman who represents the New Orleans suburbs and the state’s southern region hard hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Scalise was elected to the House in May 2008, filling the seat once held by current Gov. Bobby Jindal. Scalise is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a strong proponent of traditional energy sources such as oil drilling.

He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children.

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Rep. Peter Roskam, 52, is an attorney and chief deputy whip who recently was tapped by Boehner to serve on the select committee investigating the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Roskam worked for longtime Illinois Republican Rep. Henry Hyde and served in the Illinois legislature with a state senator named Barack Obama. Roskam’s biography highlights that in the Illinois legislature he and Obama “partnered to enact significant reforms to the state’s criminal justice system.”

After unsuccessful bids, Roskam was elected to the House in 2006 and represents a district northwest of Chicago. He serves on the Ways and Means Committee.

Roskam and his wife, Elizabeth, have four children.

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Rep. Marlin Stutzman, 37, is a fourth-generation farmer and tea party favorite who was elected to the House in 2010, his second race that year. Stutzman had sought the GOP nomination in the race for retiring Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh’s seat, but the primary winner was national Republicans’ favorite, former Sen. Dan Coats. When Rep. Mark Souder revealed he had an extramarital affair with an aide, Republicans turned to Stutzman, a former staffer for Souder, to replace him on the ballot in the northeast Indiana district that includes Fort Wayne.

Stutzman, a member of the Financial Services Committee, often has pushed for an uncompromising approach on the GOP agenda.

He and family members, including his father, run a farm of 4,000 acres and grow soybeans, green beans and seed corn.

Stutzman and his wife, Christy, have two children.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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