Clarise McCants of Philadelphia, a Howard University political science major, center, flanked by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, left, and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., right, and accompanied by students, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, May 8, 2012, as the Senate moves toward a showdown on a Democratic proposal to keep federally subsidized loan interest rates from doubling for millions of college students. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)