Poli Alert Political & Civics
Related Articles
President Joe Biden reportedly said he’s considering canceling some student loan debt in a private meeting with House Democrats.
Two sources told NBC News that the president received requests from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus members to extend the pause on student loan payments and cancel at least $10,000 in student loan debt for millions of borrowers. Currently, the pause on student loan payments has been extended to the end of August.
A congressional aide said the president seemed more likely to cancel some student loan debt per federal-level borrower.
“The president was incredibly receptive to that. He gave the impression that it’s a priority of his, and he said he understands it’s on young people’s minds,” said the anonymous aide, according to NBC News.
According to the aide, though the president said he’s likely to take action, he provided no amount or timeline.
“He basically said: ‘You’re going to be happy with what I do about student loan debt relief,’” the aide continued.
“Not a single person in this country has paid a dime on federal student loans since the president took office,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at Monday’s press briefing, referring to the suspension of interest on the debt.
She went on to say that President Joe Biden “would make a decision about any cancellation of student debt before the conclusion of that pause on student loans.”Democrats and advocates have put intense pressure on the president to act ahead of the midterms, pointing out that student debt cancellation is a campaign promise he can deliver on without Congress, while much of his agenda has been stymied in the House and Senate.
It’s still a debate among some lawyers whether the president has the authority to forgive debt through executive action.
If Biden were to cancel some student loan debt, the move could affect more than 43 million borrowers who hold more than $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt, the second-largest debt held by Americans, behind mortgages.
The president has said in the past that he supports canceling up to $10,000 in student loan debt.
