If anything is certain about the results of November’s midterm elections, it’s that the new Democrats in Congress have a full plate on their hands. With a mission to politically renovate the nation after over a decade of Republican control, the new majority has a full docket. In their first “”100 hour”” session alone, the Democrats examined immigration reform, stem cells and minimum wage.

So it seems all the more heartening that one of Congress’ first proposals this legislative season deals with higher education. Sans fine print, the Democrats’ proposal to halve interest rates on subsidized loans has pulled praise from many lobbyists. The numbers should speak for such accolades: A four-year college student starting next year with subsidized loans will save $2,280. A similar student starting in 2011 will save $4,420.

But there are other numbers to consider: The typical student borrower now graduates with about $17,500 in debt. By Department of Education estimates, 200,000 people put off or pass over a college degree each year because of fiscal restraints.

Providing college affordability is ballooning into one of the nation’s biggest problems, one that is likely unsolvable by the Democrats alone. Their plans are ambitious, to say to the least. One of its costliest, but best-valued, efforts will be to establish a permanent tax deduction for college costs accrued by middle-class families. Other efforts are even larger in scale, especially boosting the levels of Pell Grants, which have stagnated at a maximum of $4,050 since 2003-04.

The Democrats are certain to face an uphill battle, with their higher education plan costs running into the billions. So while their first action on college aid was commendable, it is a speck of progress relative to our nation’s needed reforms.