Biden goes on offensive on student loans ahead of midterm elections
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Biden goes on offensive on student loans ahead of midterm elections
Haisten Willis November 04, 06:00 AM November 04, 06:00 AMPresident Joe Biden fell largely silent about his student loan forgiveness program in the weeks after it was announced but is now aggressively talking it up and calling out the program's detractors just days ahead of the midterm elections.
The White House released a "by the numbers" sheet Thursday morning lashing out at the GOP over the issue, and Biden delivered a speech in New Mexico touting student loan forgiveness in the afternoon.
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"It's temporarily on hold — why?" said Biden, referring to lawsuits that have iced student loan forgiveness for the time being. "Because Republican members of the Congress and Republican governors are doing everything they can, including taking us to court, to deny relief even to their own constituents."
Fulfilling a campaign promise and bowing to pressure from his party's left wing, Biden announced Aug. 24 that he would transfer $10,000 of student debt from borrowers to taxpayers for all but the highest income earners and up to $20,000 per borrower for those who received Pell Grants. The total program is estimated to cost $500 billion.
But he barely mentioned it during the next several weeks, leaving loan forgiveness out of stump speeches and groundbreaking ceremonies. That stance changed again in recent weeks as the president has taken on a more aggressive tone on everything from Big Oil to the economy to Social Security.
"Their outrage is simply wrong and, I might add, hypocritical," Biden said to his loans program opponents. "By fighting them in court, we're not going to let them get away with it."
Republicans point to the 87% of people who don't have student debt, predicting a "blue-collar backlash" among those who either didn't attend college, attended without taking debt, or paid off their loans.
"Joe Biden is a career politician and completely detached from reality, so it's no wonder he doesn't realize this bailout was out of touch and ill-received by Americans who paid off their debt or chose a different career route," said Republican National Committee spokesman Will O'Grady. "Biden ultimately exposed himself as the elitist Washington Democrat has always been."
But it isn't only Republicans opposed. Seven lawsuits have been filed, most not directly affiliated with the GOP or GOP politicians. The Cato Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank, is another entity that has sued.
Neal McCluskey, director of Cato's Center for Educational Freedom, pointed to political reasons for Biden's push, saying the White House may hope to drive up turnout by playing up threats to student loan forgiveness. He points to the bullet points in Biden's "by the numbers" release, which single out black borrowers, Latino borrowers, and blue-collar borrowers who earned welding or dental assistant certificates — all groups that traditionally support Democrats.
There are conflicting polls on the program's popularity. An Economist-YouGov poll found that 51% of respondents support it, with 39% opposed. Meanwhile, a Cato Institute poll found that 76% opposed it if it drives up the price of college, as did 64% if it raises taxes.
The fact that billions of dollars hang in the balance could boost Biden's party if those people who stand to benefit are more likely to vote. McCluskey estimates the overall program stands a very real chance of being overturned in court, perhaps 50/50 either way.
The Department of Education promised borrowers they could have loans forgiven before repayments start Jan. 1, but that timeline is also threatened by the temporary halt. It's unknown if the White House will try for yet another pause extension if the program remains blocked.
T.J. Rooney, a former Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairman, agrees that the student loans issue can help drive turnout, though he calls it a double-edged sword, as the issue turns off some voters too. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a major student loans forgiveness champion, said recently he worries about Democratic midterm voter turnout among young and working-class voters.
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"If you're now into a turnout mechanism, which everyone is, you remind people who might otherwise take a pass on this election that this is a tangible reason to go out and vote Democratic," he said. "There are things that could prevent this program from being undone, including maintaining control of the Senate."
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