Although he ran as a moderate candidate, President Joe Biden earned a reputation for aligning with the more extreme wings of his party. Some progressive Democrats, however, don’t believe he’s done enough.
Wednesday’s speech by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, a New York Rep. (D) criticized Biden’s inaction on student loan forgiveness.
“It’s teenagers signing up for what is often hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt,” Ocasio-Cortez said, according to Fox Business. “We just do that. Our government allows that.”
She continued: “We give 17 year-olds the option to sign on for $100,000 of debt, and we believe that’s a responsible policy.”
“A ridiculous statement”
Biden suggested previously that student debt cancellation would benefit the rich. Fox Business reported that Biden said this during a CNN Town Hall event last year. He stated that the policy would include giving money to people who went to Harvard, Yale, and Penn.
Ocasio Cortez for her part made it clear that she doesn’t care about such concerns.
“I’m greatly looking forward to the Biden administration canceling student loan debt and no longer advancing the false narratives that student loan debt is for the privileged,” she declared, as Fox Business reported.
“What a ridiculous assertion,” the congresswoman insisted. “Do we really think that a billionaire’s child is taking student loans?”
A divide among Dems
The Daily Wire reports that, despite not accepting loan forgiveness, the Biden administration moved for an extension of a moratorium payment on loans managed by the U.S. Department of Education up to January 2022.
“This will give the Department of Education and borrowers more time and more certainty as they prepare to restart student loan payments,” the White House said of the move. “It will also ensure a smoother transition that minimizes loan defaults and delinquencies that hurt families and undermine our economic recovery.”
The Daily Wire also reports Biden isn’t the only one who is reluctant to forgive student loans; Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, stated in July she was concerned about resentment.
“Suppose your child at this time does not want to go to college, but you’re paying taxes to forgive someone else’s obligation,” she remarked. “You may not be happy about that.”
