WORCESTER — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said her vision for 2015 in Washington involves maintaining a sharp focus on student loan debt and the drag it is on the economy and the future of the country.

While Warren previously introduced and pushed a bill to allow people to refinance student loans at the current low rates to save them money each month, it failed in the Senate, although it drew an impressive 58 votes.

When asked just how she plans to move such a bill and policy priority forward in a Republican-controlled Congress, Warren said it comes down to explaining how it affects everyone- regardless of if they have outstanding student loans themselves.

"The Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have all done reports showing that young people with student loan debt are not taking the economic steps they would ordinary take at this point in their lives. The student loan debt is becoming a drag on the whole economy," Warren said. "And yet the federal government is making billions in profits."

She said that the aforementioned studies must carry a specific context in order for people to push their elected officials, including Republicans, to demand change.

"I talk about student loan debt every chance I get. I talked with the folks at Staples and they said a big part of their business is start-ups because a lot of them do purchases through Staples. They talked about how during the recession that was a real problem as less people were starting businesses," Warren said. "I talked to them about the data that showed young people are not starting businesses at the rate we anticipate and a big reason was the student loan debt. They were interested and I want them to be interested. They can help us make change. This affects us all. This affects housing values. The home builders get this. The realtors get this. And the more people who get it, the better off we'll be."

Warren said that another issue related to education and the ever-rising cost of college in the U.S. involves the federal government taking a more active role in making sure the institutions which benefit from the billions in government tuition grants act properly to take care of students. She said that while the government shells out a significant amount of grant money each year, it does little to require that colleges and universities, especially for-profit institutions, keep costs down and ensure a quality education.

"The federal government is not leveraging its power here. And who gets hurt from this? It's the boot-strappers. It's the ones who are trying to build a future for themselves. They get preyed on by these for-profit universities," Warren said. "These students get saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in debt and no diploma. In the end, many have wasted time and money here. This highlights the failure of the federal government to keep college affordable."

Warren, speaking at an editorial board meeting in Worcester, said that she's seen a government in Washington that isn't working for the working class, and that is at the heart of the obstacles to passing something like student loan reform.

"My whole life's work has been about what's happening to America's middle class and working families. And then I go to Washington and I see up close and in person how much this government works for those who can hire armies of lobbyists," Warren said. "The GDP (gross domestic product) is up but that is not the lift experience of most Americans. Look at the numbers about who is prospering in this economy. This is a country that works really well for the tip 10 percent of Americans... And that is the problem."

This afternoon Warren returns to Washington where she is taking on a new leadership role in the Democratic Party as well as a seat on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Check back with MassLive.com for more of Sen. Warren's editorial board meeting with Gateway City media.