U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said Congress needs to act fast or U.S. families will suffer.

Brown said interest rates on federally subsidized Stafford loans are set to double, topping out at 6.8 percent. That would be affect 15,000 students in the Mahoning Valley.

Brown said when the average student graduates from schools like Youngstown State University he or she has an average of $30,000 in student loan debt.