Kamala Harris Seeking Creative Ways to Address the $1.7 Trillion Student Loan Debt Crisis
On “Face the Nation” over the weekend, Kamala Harris discussed topics such as voting rights, Biden’s economic agenda, and student debt.
In the latter case, the vice president acknowledged that debt is very much capable of affecting households and individuals.
In an interview with Margaret Brennan, Harris said that the administration must remain vigilant on the issue since it has “the ability to actually alleviate the burdens that people are carrying that make it difficult for them to get through the day or the month.”
Yahoo disclosed that Brennan asked Harris how student loans should be forgiven before the midterm elections in 2022.
Harris replied, “Well, I think that we have to continue to do what we’re doing and figure out how we can creatively relieve the pressure that students are feeling because of their student-loan debt.”
Must read: Student Debt Cancellation is Insult to Millions of Americans. Here’s Why?
A number of Twitter users expressed outrage at Harris’ use of the word “creatively,” stating that the administration would relieve the burden of student debt with gift cards from Starbucks or pizza parties.
Meanwhile, others referred to the debt relief plan Harris advocated when she ran for president in 2019.
Harris proposed in a tweet at the time to “establish a student-loan forgiveness plan for Pell Grant recipients who start a business that operates for three years in disadvantaged communities.”
Qualified students would be eligible for up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness, and their loans would be deferred interest-free for three years.
As part of her overall strategy to ensure Black entrepreneurs had the chance to start their own small businesses, she said this loan forgiveness plan was part of that strategy.
Several people regarded this plan as unsatisfactory as a way to relieve student debt.
On Twitter, some users mocked the complicated nature of her plan and said that it would benefit a few people.
According to an Insider story from 2019, Harris’ proposal caused confusion because it failed to align with the harsh realities facing businesses in their first few years of operation.
Furthermore, Pell Grant recipients often face more difficulties and take longer to complete their degrees, which makes Harris’ proposal even more inaccessible.
Harris and Biden have not confirmed if they will implement Harris’ campaign promise to ease student debt.
Meanwhile borrowers have not heard from Biden about his $10,000 pledge to forgive student loans.
Many are growing frustrated with the lack of communication on sweeping student-loan cancellation, even though Biden’s administration recently extended the pandemic pause to include three more months of repayment.
Just last week, Harris said to talk-show host Charlamagne that student debt is a real problem that needs to be addressed.
But she didn’t go into specifics about what she planned to do.
