Elected officials were divided not only on party lines but also within the Democratic Party this week over President Biden’s announcement of student loan forgiveness.
Mr. Biden’s actions will write off $10,000 in debt for Americans earning less than $125,000 a year and $20,000 in debt for low-income students who receive Pell grants. Many Democrats hailed the plan as essential to saving borrowers. But some progressives said it wasn’t enough, and some centrists and candidates facing a difficult reelection campaign said it was too broad. It seemed universally condemning.
Representatives Ayanna S. Pressley and Cori Bush, two members of a progressive group in Congress known as The Squad, applauded the plan. Mr Bush called Mr Biden’s action an “important first step” Cancellation of all student debt on Twitter. In a statement, Presley said Biden’s actions “changed lives for the better” and “helped millions of people build their own finances, create wealth for generations to come, grow families and buy homes.” I will help you with what to do,” he said. Both women are running for re-election in safe Democratic districts.
In contrast, Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat in hot race for reelection, told the Nevada Independent that she didn’t support Biden’s decision. Cortez Masto said loan forgiveness should target low-income Americans. in a statement — and Congress should expand Pell grants.
Rep. Tim Ryan, a moderate Democrat running for a tough race for Ohio’s Senate, also criticized the plan, saying: high. There is no doubt that a college education opens up opportunities, but giving up debt for those already on track to financial security is nothing without a degree working hard to earn a living. It sends the wrong message to millions of Ohioans.
Like some other Democrats, Ryan has accused the plan of unfair government support for high-income Americans, and the $125,000 income cap has been imposed on some “six-figure earners.” pointed out that it means exempting loans to
Despite Mr. Ryan’s statement that he does not support the executive order, his Republican opponent, JD Vance, tried to apply it to him. write on twitter: “Thanks to Tim Ryan and Joe Biden, Ohio workers are paying off Harvard law student loans.”
Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who is running for re-election with Rep. Val B. Demings in Florida, has likewise criticized the plan, instead eliminating interest on federal student loans he introduced. promoted the bill.
“Forgiving student loan debt is not free,” he said in a statement. It is not a remedy, it is an unjustified burden to impose on working families.”