Forty-six lawmakers in Congress understand the struggle to pay off high-balance student loans, as they themselves owe thousands of dollars on college loans.

Forty-one members of the House and five senators currently owe student loans, either for their own education or those of their children, according to OpenSecrets.org.

The money owed totals between $1.8 million and $4.3 million.

Freshman Representative Raul Ruiz (D-California) has the distinction of owing the most, between $115,001 and $300,000. The son of migrant farmworkers, Ruiz graduated from Harvard Medical School.

Four other House members also owe at least $100,000: Republicans James Bridenstine of Oklahoma, John Carter of Texas and Tom Rooney of Florida, and Democrat Grace Meng of New York.

Their experience clashes with the opinions of Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina), who said in a radio interview with Gordon Liddy that she has “very little tolerance” for students who graduate with large debts. Foxx is the chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

To Learn More:

Members of Congress Feel Student Loan Pain Firsthand (by Russ Choma, OpenSecrets.org)

Fastest Growing Group of Student Loan Borrowers…Parents Older than 60 (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

Who’s Profiting from Student Loans? (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)