WASHINGTON (AP) — At a campaign rally in April, President Joe Biden told a Wisconsin crowd about his latest “life-changing” plan for student loan cancellation, promising financial relief for more than 30 million Americans.
At a campaign rally in April, President Joe Biden told a Wisconsin crowd about his latest “life-changing” plan for student loan cancellation, promising financial relief for more than 30 million Americans.
But Kamala Harris has steered clear of the issue at her political events since replacing Biden as the Democratic nominee for president. The vice president’s platform mentions it just twice, and with no specific plan. As she courts moderate voters, Harris has focused on policies targeting Americans without a college degree.
“For far too long, our nation has encouraged only one path to success: a four-year college degree,” Harris said in September in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. “Our nation needs to recognize the value of other paths.”
In the span of just a few years, student loan cancellation has gone from a pillar of the Democratic Party to a political liability. Once seen as a sure-fire way to energize young voters, the issue has now become a bludgeon wielded by Republicans who say it heaps advantage on elites and comes at the expense of those who repaid their loans or did not attend college.
The issue came up just once in the September presidential debate, when Republican Donald Trump hammered Harris and Biden for failing to deliver their promise of widespread cancellation. The former president called it a “total catastrophe” that “taunted young people.”
“They didn’t even come close to getting student loans,” Trump said.
Biden, who once questioned the legality of mass student loan forgiveness, campaigned on the issue after progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., made it a mainstream idea. But as president, Biden has faced relentless challenges from Republican opponents. For the roughly 42 million people with federal student loans, hope of having them forgiven has turned into resignation and disillusionment.
Biden’s first plan to cancel up to $20,000 for millions of people was blocked by the Supreme Court last year. A second, narrower plan has been halted by a federal judge after Republican-led states sued. A separate policy intended to lower loan payments for struggling borrowers has been paused by a judge, also after Republican-controlled states challenged it.
On Friday, the Biden administration moved ahead with yet another attempt at student loan cancellation, this one focused on Americans who face heavy financial burdens beyond their student loans.
