I hate to bear news of another impending crisis from Washington, but if Congress doesn’t act, federal subsidized student loan interest rates will double from 3.4 to 6.8 percent on July 1.

You would think that keeping college affordable for students would be something that everyone, even Congress, could agree on. However, Republican leaders in the House won’t even allow a bill that freezes the current low rate to come to a vote.

I’ve signed a petition with my colleagues that would force them to bring the bill to the floor. It deserves to get an up-or-down vote so the public can really see how Congress stands on making college affordable.

Still, I’m very disappointed that we haven’t settled this question long ago, as millions of Americans are left to wonder if they will soon face a steep hike in the cost of financing their education.

Let’s take a step back to see what led to the situation. In 2007, Congress passed legislation to bring down the rate of its subsidized student loans from 6.8 to 3.4 percent. (These are income-eligible loans where interest is not charged until after a student graduates; for “unsubsidized” loans, interest starts accruing while a student is still in school.)

The legislation was needed, and still is, because of the quickly rising costs of education and mounting student loan debt.

The lower rate wasn’t made permanent, however, and was set to expire last year. At the last minute, it was extended to June 30, 2013. But now we find ourselves in the same situation.

Republican leaders say they have addressed the problem, but their “solution” is actually worse than doing nothing. Their proposal would increase the rate and then make it variable, meaning that it could change every year for the life of the loan. How can families make informed decisions when they don’t know what the rate will be in 10 years?

Not to mention that the rates could be as high as 10.5 percent. Considering you can get a car loan right now for 2.7 percent (and that banks receive federal loans for as low as .75 percent) this is a terrible deal for students and families.

It doesn’t make any sense to allow this lower rate to expire when student debt is a bigger problem than ever. In the last 10 years, student loan debt on average has doubled. It’s now the second biggest source of family debt behind a home mortgage.

That’s not a sustainable trend. The mounting costs are already forcing families to question whether they can afford to give their kids the higher education they need to be competitive in the job market. Letting rates rise will only worsen the problem.

Higher education continues to be the gateway to opportunity in this country, and we can’t afford for it to become some kind of luxury that only the wealthiest families can afford. If that happens, we all go backward. In today’s kids are tomorrow’s innovators, problem-solvers, and job creators.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be fighting to keep student rates low because I think their education, and our future, is worth investing in. Please keep in touch with your views on this very important issue at www.pingree.house.gov/contact.