By Jeremy W. Peters and Ashley Parker

WASHINGTON — Something pretty rare happened in Congress on Wednesday: it approved and sent to President Obama a major piece of public policy by an overwhelming bipartisan margin.

student loan
Christopher Gregory/The New York Times Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, at microphones, on Wednesday, when the House passed the student loan bill 392 to 31.
The feat was even more notable because the legislation, which created a new set of rates for federal student loans, is entwined with many of the issues that often divide Republicans and Democrats: the economy, the financial markets and the government’s role in lending. It passed by a vote of 392 to 31 in the House.

More>>