White House Backtracks on Student Loan Debt Relief Within 24 Hours
222 Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Wendell Husebo
17 Feb 2021
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reversed President Joe Biden’s claim that he does not support a federal bailout for student loan debt during a press conference Wednesday.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday night at a CNN town hall that he would not support bailing out graduates with $50,000 loan forgiveness unless the legislation is narrowly tailored.
From the Biden town hall on CNN last night, this questioner asked about canceling $50,000 worth of student debt:
“What will you do to make that happen?”
“I will not make that happen.” pic.twitter.com/Y7auUT2YQZ
— The Recount (@therecount) February 17, 2021
But within twenty-four hours the White House has corrected course, saying the Administration is indeed weighing options to forgive up to $50,000 in student debt.
On student loan debt, @PressSec says POTUS has told Democratic Senators that he will ask the justice department to conduct a review on how student debt relief should be targeted.
— Kellan Howell (@kellanhowell) February 17, 2021
Pressed on the reversal, Psaki said, “He was reiterating his previous stated position, which is that he doesn’t favor $50,000 in student loan relief without limitations,” additionally noting that Biden “will ask them [the Department of Justice] to conduct a legal review of his authority to act on executive action in conjunction with a policy review from his Domestic Policy Council on how executive action debt relief, if any, should be targeted.”
STUDENT DEBT:
Jen Psaki says President Biden “doesn’t favor $50,000 in student loan relief without limitation.” https://t.co/dTpOeennP5 pic.twitter.com/o0LxxJ9Sf3
— Forbes (@Forbes) February 17, 2021
The Justice Department has yet to assemble a team to review the unprecedented proposal because the Administration is only a month old. The bipartisan nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Budget claims that President Biden’s loan forgiveness program will ultimately do more harm than good.
“In the meantime, if Congress moves forward and sends him a package that provides him [Biden] $10,000 in school debt relief, he’d be eager to sign that,” Psaki noted.
EducationPoliticsSocial JusticeJen PsakiJoe BidenStudent Loan Debt
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Original Story: White House Backtracks on Student Loan Debt Relief Within 24 Hours