"More than 95 percent of almost 2,000 lenders remain in the U.S. government's student loan program, ensuring money is available to everyone eligible, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said," Bloomberg reports. "About 8.5 million students will access $72 billion in federal student loans for the school year beginning next quarter, Spellings said in a letter sent yesterday to college presidents. She said in the letter that only 64 lenders have dropped out, according to an e-mail from her spokeswoman, Samara Yudof. Democratic Senators Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Patty Murray of Washington announced on June 17 a bill that would prevent lenders from refusing to offer federal loans at community colleges and smaller four-year schools."