Little Resentment On Social Media Over Decision To Cancel Student Debt
Biden's plan would ease up to $20,000 in college loans
President Biden faced little backlash from many average Americans over his decision to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for many borrowers, according to early reaction on social media following the announcement of the determination Wednesday.
The federal government will cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for Americans earning $125,000 or less per year and extend the pandemic-era pause on payments for all borrowers until December 31. The plan also eliminates an additional $10,000 of debt for Pell Grant recipients, according to the new White House policy.
Aside from, predictably, Republicans and others on the political right, reaction has been positive — even among those Americans who have already paid off their student loans.
“Me: Paid for college myself, max'd out student loans, worked the entire time, paid my loans back in full, and today have excellent credit. Also me: Give as much #studentloanforgiveness as possible, right now, to as many as we can. This is a no-brainer: OWN it!” tweeted Tim O'Connell, associate professor of natural resource ecology and management at Oklahoma State University.
“My daughter got a full ride to college. Not a single student loan. Weird how she's still happy that SL debt has been forgiven for others. Glad we didn't raise her to be a selfish, unthinking, uncaring, short sighted asswipe #studentloanforgiveness,” tweeted a self-identified Army veteran who goes by Randy.
A number of commenters on social media took issue with the hypocrisy of the Republican Party supporting hundreds of billions in aid to corporations and business, such as through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), but turning away from assistance from average American taxpayers.
“Just gonna come right out and say it: anyone who got a single dime of #PPP loans forgiven can shut the hell up about #studentloanforgiveness,” posted Daniel Tuke, Ph.D student at the University of Baltimore.
And although some Democrats had pushed Biden to relieve an even larger amount of debt, the announced level is said to be very significant.
“I will tolerate zero punditry about #studentloanforgiveness ‘being too small to matter’ on my timeline today. Just left the coffee shop by my local community college. Everyone was talking about it. Excited, grateful, making plans for the future. It’s gonna make a difference,” tweeted Alexis Krieg, who works strategic communications for the Omidyar Network, a social change venture and a former spokesperson for Sen Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass).
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