Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders called out Republican critics of President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan for not voicing similar concerns over the Trump tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, The Guardian reports.
Biden last week announced a plan to forgive up to $10,000 in student debt for those earning up to $125,000 per year and up to $20,000 in student debt for those who received Pell grants.
The plan also includes reforms to income-based repayment programs aimed at making it easier for borrowers to pay back their loans.
The White House estimates that the plan will help about 43 million Americans.
The White House took to Twitter last week to call out Republican critics arguing that the student debt plan is “unfair” for taking forgiven Payroll Protection Program loans during the pandemic.
GOP criticism:
Republicans have roundly rejected Biden’s plan, arguing that it is wasteful of taxpayer resources and unfair to people who have already paid off their loans.
“You can’t forgive that much debt and assume people won’t spend the money for other things – it’s gonna take $24 billion that should have been coming into the federal government every year in payments and make that available for spending,” Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt said Sunday.
Bernie pushes back:
Sanders called out GOP critics for not voicing similar concerns when they supported Trump’s tax cuts on top earners and corporations.
“Look, I know it is shocking … to some Republicans, that the government actually, on occasion, does something to benefit low-income families and working people,” Sanders told ABC News on Sunday. “I don’t hear any of these Republicans squawking when we give massive tax breaks to billionaires.”
