WASHINGTON (KMOX) -- Illinois Republican Congressman John Shimkus says he’s against any plan to allow student loans to be wiped clean through bankruptcy, similar to credit card debt.

“People have to decide what they want to do,” Shimkus told KMOX’s Charlie Brennan. “I agree with you, if they want to grab the brass ring and they’re willing to take out a $250-thousand loan and go to a major university and get their masters, God bless them. But they need to accept the responsibility for that choice.”

Hear the full interview with John Shimkus below:

Schimkus was defending last week’s House vote that would allow funds to be siphoned from President Barack Obama’s health care reform plan to maintain the current level of student loan benefits.

The House on Friday approved a bill to extend low interest rates on student loans, but not before a heated debate over the Republican plan to pay for the bill. The measure passed by a vote of 215 to 195, with only about a dozen Democrats supporting the bill.