Progressives who have spent months pushing President Biden to cancel billions of dollars in student debt are now targeting the end of a federal pause on loan payments as a deadline for White House action.
Biden on Friday extended a freeze on student loan bills until Jan. 31 but said it would be the last time the Education Department renewed a pause on payments that’s been in place since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
While the president won praise from some Democrats, he also raised the odds of a fierce intraparty debate spilling over into an election year by pushing the student loan repayment cliff into 2022.
Democratic lawmakers and activists who support executive action to wipe out much of the $1.6 trillion in federal student debt are pressuring Biden to act before roughly 43 million Americans must resume paying off their loans.
“Sounds like January 31, 2022 is the deadline to cancel student debt. No more extensions required,” said Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) in a tweet.
Bowman is one of many progressive lawmakers in favor of Biden using the stroke of a pen to forgive $50,000 in student loans per borrower. The president has opened the door to eliminating some debt but has refused to go as high as $50,000 and suggested the amount forgiven would depend on the borrower’s income. He has also voiced support for capping loan forgiveness at $10,000.
Read Full Story
The Hill Rating
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
