Is Elizabeth Warren a Champion Of the Millennial Generation?

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was elected by way of her support of progressive policies, and she has certainly stuck to those progressive principles in her time as a senator thus far.

Previously a professor at Harvard Law and an assistant to the President of the United States, Warren has a history of fighting for consumer protection. She's continued to support that idea in two of her current battles in the Senate: a fixed interest rate for student loans, and introducing a bill that would separate commercial and investment banking. Millennials should be impressed with Warren's willingness to go to bat on their behalf in terms of student loans, and respect her propensity to challenge the consensus on finance by revisiting the bill.

Warren declined to support the recent bipartisan compromise on student loans, despite the irritation of some of the senior Democrat senators. The compromise would tie interest rates for student loans to the financial market, but Warren denounced the bill as a way for the federal government to make money to the detriment of students. Rather than compromise on her principles, Warren has instead brought attention to the fact that the bill essentially pits students against each other.

In addition to her fight for more reasonable student loan interest rates, Warren is also working towards a reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act. This bill was first established after the Great Depression and would ostensibly make banks handle consumer deposits relatively smaller and less risky. While one piece of legislation can't make an entire behemoth industry safer, it could be a start.

Warren should be commended for not being afraid to disagree with her party on important issues — especially important issues for millennials. Though the student loan compromise was passed in the Senate, Warren's vote against it demonstrated that she's not willing to compromise on her ideas just to satisfy her party.

Though compromise is of course important, Warren campaigned on a platform that included promises to reduce the cost of student borrowing. She's tried her best so far to honor that promise, and millennials should praise her for that.