Why Republicans Oppose Student Loan Cancellation

Forbes Senior Contributor Zack Friedman discusses student loan cancellation.
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[@markportnoy6290]

The owning class always hates the working class benefitting from tax policy.

[@ImJiom]

if people were wise this would be the top rated comment in the section

[@angelam8383]

But wait they don’t oppose the very large PPP loans they took out that were forgiven so they?

[@consumerdebtchitchat]

I got my 110k student loan forgiven in 2022 after having taught middle school for 16 years. I just finished my 18th year teaching May 2024. I have zero guilt for the PSLF loan forgiveness because there isn't one person I've met outside of education that would take my job for a day much less 18 years - especially politicians 😂.

[@estebanrivera4786]

Staying on the topic of student loans, everyone, and literally everyone, has been told for years that they have to go to college, get a career through that, and continue on. That idea is complete garbage, and college/ universities have become a "business". With this in mind, and for those who have already been through college, or are going through it, this whole concept is to keep you bound to the government and like entities so that you don't progress financially. The ones that are well off, or have the fortune of not having to apply for these loans in the first place don't have to worry about anything. For those that can't afford to go to college by their parent's salaries alone, they are blinded by this very same concept of "needing" to go to college to have a career and plan for their lives. That's why, towards the last two years or so of high school, they send out, from various colleges and universities, representatives to recruit students. They recruit students because they know that they'll, most likely, need to apply for student loans. And once these students, with their student loans, apply and are accepted to these colleges, those schools will get the loans paid to them - and the cycle continues. It's all bullshit. So this debt relief, though it may strain a financial part on the economy, or national debt, or whatever, it's something that should've been done at various points of this country's history. And yet, the money that this country has made was used in other poor decisions as well. A clear example would be war. The Vietnam War wasn't just a shame in terms of human lives, but it also left a financial debt as well. And there are plenty of other examples that could be brought up when it comes to putting tax payer money towards unnecessary things, as I'm sure many people who think selfishly and greedily do.

[@jolus6678]

Maybe these republicans should all pay back their forgiven PPP loans then.

[@onenationunderground2360]

Pandering again Brandon?

[@bernardwylie9760]

So today, we’ve got the Republicans counter plan to address student loan debt. And….it’s not much of a plan at all. 3 bills to address loan information (but not the base terms of loans like interest rates, amortization, compounding interest, etc.), one bill to reduce repayment options, and a last one to reduce the number of loans that go to graduate and liberal arts programs. So, what they want is for more people to fully aware that they can’t afford college, and then not go?!? But this is hardly a plan to help Americans manage existing student debt or reform a system that increasingly feels more like a financial grift than a pathway to the middle class.

[@jelel9698]

How come the republicans oppose the Loan forgiveness plan but they do not oppose funding Ukraine?

[@blacknight88]

Because they don't care about regular Americans

[@awesomecoolguy6515]

Republicans DO oppose funding Ukraine it's sleepy Joe giving them BILLIONS

[@ashleynaomi3978]

The people that do not want to help our younger generation succeed in life faster are purely selfish!

[@SomewhereInIndiana1816]

Absolutely not. It's called taking responsibility. And since when is anyone else ENTITLED to someone else's hard-earned money?? THAT is selfish. 😳

[@sarahscroggins2793]

@@SomewhereInIndiana1816crazy evil republicans, give your money to the wealthy then. Proverbs 22:16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.

[@noonespecial1178]

@@sarahscroggins2793 I dont believe in religion but I agree with what you said the christian right has been hijacked by a hated geed blindness sheepness that sides a prosperity mindset

[@ArisaemaTriphyllum]

That's the entire boomer generation

[@ArisaemaTriphyllum]

​@@ghost986 Why did we forgive everyone's PPE loans? MTG's PPE loan was 10x my college debt. She could afford to pay that back (judging by all the jewels she's wearing). I cannot afford to pay my college debt. I signed my college loans at 17 when I was too young to understand how they would destroy my life - I never even had the LUXURY to consider having kids. These creepy republicons are going after my bodily autonomy, try to force me to breed when I can not even afford to be pregnant. This is a shit hole country and you selfish ppl make it so.

[@Steppyvlogs]

Will my student loan from 1983 be returned to me and all of the other people that borrowed money for school throughout the history of the United States.

[@SomewhereInIndiana1816]

Exactly!!

[@brianbarefoot6574]

You realize its not loan forgiveness. If someone has an $80k loan and they get $10k that is not loan forgiveness. What is loan forgiveness is the PPP loans that Marjorie Taylor Greene ($184k) and Matt Gaetz ($482k) did not have to pay back. Were you outraged enough to make a comment on youtube about that?

[@ScarletHoligay]

School was $5 back then.

[@brianbarefoot6574]

No answer?

[@charde9739]

Crab in a bucket

[@gorfpatrol2073]

Millionaires like representative Rashida Talib from Dearborn Michigan get a freebie..CROOKS

[@onenationunderground2360]

AOC too.

[@brianbarefoot6574]

What about the PPP loans that Marjorie Taylor Greene ($184k) and Matt Gaetz ($482k) did not have to pay back. Were you outraged enough to make a comment on youtube about that? Or do you only get outraged about Democrats?

[@brianbarefoot6574]

What about Billionaire Donald Trump paying $750 in federal taxes do you get outraged about that? or is it just Democrats that get you outraged?

[@brianbarefoot6574]

Trump was supposed to drain the swamp instead his adminstration had over 100 indictments. The Obama administration had zero. Does the corruption of the Trump administration get you outraged? No, just Democrats.

[@estebanlara3702]

@@onenationunderground2360 MAGA are racists because they let MTG and Matt Gaetz get PPP loans forgiven but not student loans which does affect minorities more often because minorities are less like to have mommy and daddy pay for their children's college.

[@Nashvilletn-dm1pt]

FJB and hunter

[@Silverlined_69]

I won't lie, I wish I was told about trade schools before going to college. Would have been much better off

[@estebanrivera4786]

I totally agree and wish I had done the same thing...

[@mattwilliams3427]

Because it’s the right thing to do… if you borrow money…pay it back! How hard is that concept?

[@perfect1150]

Tell that to your "President" T#%^$ who has filed bankruptcy 6 times.

[@brianbarefoot6574]

You should say that to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz

[@markportnoy6290]

You're looking at it the wrong way. Educating the citizenry is an investment.

[@ashleynaomi3978]

Selfish right not your kid not your problem?, wait but what about forcing woman to give birth that also isn't your kid, you pro birthers force people to have kids but then when those kids need help you turn your backs on them!

[@ashleynaomi3978]

@@markportnoy6290 they are selfish people that's all.

[@nise5281]

I didn't take the loan out!! That is why I am not paying YOUR loan!

[@jelel9698]

You did not start the Russian-Ukraine war and you are paying fot it.

[@Sigmacenturion]

@@jelel9698 😂

[@126644]

I didn't start a business, why did i have to pay for someones ppp loan they took out?

[@awesomecoolguy6515]

​@@jelel9698Blame Joe Biden for Ukraine

[@awesomecoolguy6515]

​@@126644So businesses were expected to go under because Foolish Fauci and Nutty Nancy Pelosi shut down the economy in 2020?

[@cruelladevil1001]

Because they have a brain...

[@58mypointofview]

What about all the kids that didn't go to school and collected debt by starting a business, do they also get relief? They want debt relief to start a family (without a career), start a business (get loans), buying homes (living at parents), and cost of living (inflation) expenses. We all are in debt and have to struggle in life. These people have made a choice and now have to live with it like everyone else.

[@onenationunderground2360]

What's crazier is the just gave billions to the IRS to arm and expand them

[@lilak4361]

Bankruptcy?

[@brianbarefoot6574]

Or just don't pay like trump did.

[@Stephanpar23]

Wow. This was a stupid take. Businesses get debt forgiveness all the time. What the hell do you think Chapter 7 and 11 bankruptcy?

[@58mypointofview]

@@Stephanpar23 look into the details of the paragraph and you will find the only stupidity is the one your spewing. Millennials! Sheesh!

[@greg624]

So we're gonna pay for rich kids educations And the idiots That got degrees and lesbian studies or CRT Over my cold tax paying hands

[@M_W_L_F]

If you're rich, the forgiveness won't apply to you. It's for families under a certain yearly income.

[@charde9739]

Hey even you can go to school! Because based on your grammar, you REALLY need it.

[@ashleynaomi3978]

How selfish of you, what so wrong in investing in someone's future.

[@charde9739]

@@ashleynaomi3978 republicans don’t like education for the poor

[@ImJiom]

yea...none of those people were doctors, engineers, scientists....they were all lesbian studies grads....

[@ArisaemaTriphyllum]

I demand that everyone who had their PPE loan forgiven pay that back. Those who are against my loan being forgiven at the very least. Damn hypocrites.

[@awesomecoolguy6515]

I'm not responsible to pay off your student loans.

[@skizeranosk]

Student loan cancelation could only be a useless half-measure if we're not going to make higher education free like k-12.

[@jaywalkinn7827]

Jr College should be free. Just push some of those teachers from hs over to the College. Give them a 10% raise. And there you have it

[@lilak4361]

@@jaywalkinn7827 good idea

[@Brandon-cs8gw]

So, letting a bunch of people that took on debt off the hook should be forgiven? They're going to pull out loans on a car, & expect the same before long. Sure, I'm millennial, but the reason I didn't take on college debt was to avoid owing money that I knew that would take me years of my life to pay off, & the same goes for a car. I rather buy a pre-owned motorcycle than ever take on that type of debt. Paying off 5 grand of debt is already difficult, so I can only imagine what it's like paying off 20k... These people are just bought voters by the Dems. This coutnry relies on student debt to continue spending money on our military & government spending, lmfao. It should remain banned, so people focus more on reform than getting the easy way out~

[@estebanlara3702]

Same reason my taxes should not pay to bail out banks or supporting Israeli mass murder in Gaza.

[@markc1263]

If you couldn't afford to go to college then you shouldn't have gone. That's YOUR responsibility. Pay your own debts, why should we?

[@perfect1150]

Typical white Republican response.....if you can't afford to send your kids to elementary school, middle school, and high school then they shouldn't have gone...I assume you're okay paying for the debts of the banks who were bailed out ($700 billion), the auto industry ($17.4 billion), and the airline industry ($25 billion). I also assume you're okay with picking up the tab for all the people who lost their jobs and had to go on unemployment because T#^%$ fucked everyone and filed bankruptcy instead of paying his bills and those small businesses had to close. I also assume you're okay picking up the tab for every governmental agency that didn't get paid by T$^%@ and his campaign hasn't paid their tab for his security. I also assume you're okay paying the tab to protect T&^#% and his moronic children after he GOT HIS ASS HANDED TO HIM IN THE LAST ELECTION. Please tell me how you're having to pay the debt being forgiven....

[@brianbarefoot6574]

Did you mind paying off the PPP loans for Marjorie Taylor Green and Matt Gaetz?

[@markc1263]

@@brianbarefoot6574 I don't think I should have to pay anyone's debts no matter which side of the aisle they're on. Especially due to the plandemic. 2 wrongs don't make a right. Same with the bailouts. The government needs to get their own reckless spending of our tax money in order before they 'help' anyone!

[@brianbarefoot6574]

@@markc1263 Good luck with that. Let me know when you find your solution.

[@markc1263]

@@brianbarefoot6574 Thanks, hopefully the solution will start in November.

[@ronaldwheeler6060]

The solution to the problem of student debt is to remove interest accrued on the debt, than send the remaining debt balance to the IRS. The IRS will consider the remaining debt as earned income and the student will be responsible for this. To make it easy for the student who carries the debt is to set a prepaid plan based on their income. Look there is no nice way of doing this but in the end it will save the US taxpayers additional debt. American taxpayers should be more concerned about illegal immigrants receiving full welfare benefits because it runs into hundreds of trillions of dollars.

[@mikehunt3222]

We also need to get government out of the student loan business. It has given incentives for colleges to raise tuition prices way past what a student gets out of it because the colleges are guaranteed that money even if the student doesn’t pay it back. If you go to any of the big colleges they always have construction going on because they have a steady flow of guaranteed government money.

[@nishantc9100]

I had similar thoughts or have the banks/ financial institutions take the principal amount due and waive off the interest or incentivize the ones who have been diligent in paying off the loans.

[@markportnoy6290]

Illegal aliens do not receive welfare. Your source on this?

[@intergalacticem8548]

That would be a dream for me. My issue is not paying back the $17,000 I borrowed, it's keeping up with the now $26,000 in interest accrued. And the interest rate keeps going up. I have one bachelors degree from a 4-year public university. The whole thing is a scam.

[@markportnoy6290]

Intersting debt solution. Illegal immigrants don't qualify for 'full benefits '. And where are you getting your hundreds of trillions number from?

[@kassdremusic]

Because it’s not fair and I’m a cupcake 😢

[@leesnow5859]

There is no debt cancellation. It moves the debt to all taxpayers. Anyone making over 12,000 a year. Why should someone making 20 or 30 or 40,000 have to pay the bill for someone else's college debt?

[@charde9739]

Idk, why we gotta pay to bail out big business every other year?

[@leesnow5859]

@@charde9739 The government should not bailout businesses. That is not the government's job.

[@ashleynaomi3978]

@@leesnow5859 and yet they do, but all this does is prove that Republicans are selfish not your kid not your problem right, but what about forcing woman yo give birth that also isn't you child, you pro birthers so quick to force someone to birth babies, but when we have a younger generation you turn you backs on them instead of investing in their future!

[@leesnow5859]

@@ashleynaomi3978 You are right. I am selfish an see no reason to take money I worked for to invest in someone else's future while working to have a future myself. As far as forcing a female to have a baby that is illegal in this country. It is called rape. The rest got pregnant because they choose to do things that lead to pregnancy. What they are not allowed to do in some states, not all, is murder the baby.

[@126644]

​@leesnow5859 they do though. Wheres the complaining of all the ppp loans that were forgiven?

[@MakotoMajima30]

you pause student loans during a time with inflation and will be forced to restart eventually during a recession … the opposite of what you should do most likely

[@FilmFlam-8008]

I worked through college. Paid for it. I guess that makes me the clown huh?

[@nishantc9100]

You did the right thing and I did the same too. Unfortunately the phones, devices, cars are getting smarter and the people aren’t. Certainly those who do politics to suit their own political agendas.

[@FilmFlam-8008]

@@lastmanwalking2793 Why? They went into college knowing how much it would cost and the approximate pay rates they would have for the jobs when they got done. Are you saying the kids spent over $200K on a degree that yields only 70K a year? That’s pretty stupid. Did they supplement their BS electives like “Movie History 101” at a local community college to reduce the costs? I did. I took as many college credits at the community colleges as I could. It was less than 1/3 the cost per credit and some of my CC teachers were from places like CMU. No. The way to reduce college costs is to REMOVE the requirements for general education courses. If I go for engineering, why do I need to take electives in “arts” like movie history? That is an archaic thought into education that drastically ups the price. Also no. Paying for these kids degrees will just increase the price. Make the colleges with the massive dowreys pay for it.

[@ashleynaomi3978]

Only if your a selfish Trump supporter.

[@ashleynaomi3978]

@@lastmanwalking2793 hey nice to meet you, I just wanted to say what a great person I think you are, I agree we should invest in their future.

[@FilmFlam-8008]

@@ashleynaomi3978 Giving them money isn’t an investment. It’s a handout to people who didn’t pay off their loans. Why not just give everyone $10,000? The person that went to trade school and paid for it themselves, while holding a job, you don’t care about investing in them I guess. Nah. Give the person making $100,000 a year a $10,000 “investment”. The person making 50K-70k a year doesn’t deserve it. See how stupid that is? You think there was “predatory lending” (which was actually the government forcing loans)? Ok. Remove the interest above inflation rate going forward. Credit the person anything they paid above the loan rate considered “fair” for how long they have been paying it off. They still pay what is “fair”.

[@onenationunderground2360]

Now we know the states the IRSS will be cracking down on.

[@sorenrousseau]

Make a new tax bracket for people who don't want to make payments back for their school loans and put them in a new bracket by debt and annual salary. Raise their income tax accordingly and indefinitely. That way all of them can pay it off through taxes instead of monthly payments together in their own pool.

[@brianbarefoot6574]

When Trump gave a $10 trillion tax cut in which 87% of the benefits went to the weathiest 1% you didn't mind that because you got an extra $20 in your pay check. Meanwhile Billionaires received millions over the years. You were ok with that right? So if someone making less than $125k gets $10,000 one time. That upsets you. Are you insane?

[@sorenrousseau]

@@brianbarefoot6574 oh I'm sorry, I didn't know you were a fucking mind reader or something. When did i ever say any of that was a good idea? All of its bullshit. Can you explain to me how this debt transfer actually solves anything? I mean, we're on the titanic going under fast and you're over here with a bucket trying to scoop out the water while 10 times more of it is coming in lol. If our government had any actual desire to help the issue and weren't just shifting money around for votes they would set a cap on tuition fees to start with, among other things.

[@charde9739]

Same with YOUR credit cards, mortgage and car payments..YOUR, not mine

[@ashleynaomi3978]

@@brianbarefoot6574 they are selfish people.

[@ashleynaomi3978]

@@charde9739 oh yeah because god for bid there might be a republican going to college that might need this kind of help, you are even againts your own!, your all selfish!

[@BasedGNellz]

Britney steppin' her game up! I see the growth!

[@misismatos9902]

I pay my loans! Is my responsability to pay !!

[@charde9739]

Wouldn’t you like to keep that money?

[@ashleynaomi3978]

Selfish people.

[@damienmccuinn1956]

As much as I would like to be free of student loans altogether I know that all this does is moves debt to the national debt

[@markportnoy6290]

Like Trump's tax cuts. Your point? And educating the citizenry benefits everyone.

[@charde9739]

@@markportnoy6290 most definitely!

[@SomewhereInIndiana1816]

Exactly!

[@FRAMEDSKATEKREW69]

You must be a dropout lol

[@ArisaemaTriphyllum]

No. Our military budget and tax breaks for the already wealthy are adding to our debt. Taking debt burden off of poor ppl only helps the economy. Because of my debt I could never afford to buy a home, I could never afford to even consider children. Now I'm basically dying in my 40s for lack of healthcare. They're raping us.

[@thomascorbett2936]

Geez, I wish someone would cancel the debt on my truck that I use to make a living. Let's make it fair, everyone should pay for what they choose to buy including a college education

[@brianbarefoot6574]

I wish the weathiest 1% would pay their taxes like I do.

[@FRAMEDSKATEKREW69]

I doubt you’re a doctor, so I would rather support a future doctor or engineer

[@brianbarefoot6574]

If you have your own business and you can depreciate the cost of your truck.

[@Beamshipcaptain]

But college education was AFFORDABLE 40 years ago when we were in school. There is NO REASON for school to be expensive now. It used to be affordable, and no loans were needed. This is a way for the rich to get richer, and the poor and middle class suffer as a result.

[@thomascorbett2936]

@@Beamshipcaptain What you say is true , when I went to college in the early 70s I paid for it on my own from a small job I had , but then Akron U became a state funded college and the price skyrocketed, most colleges now are state funded so colleges have much larger pool of money to draw from , so the cost skyrocketed so individuals can't compete with what the state can pay , so now everyone must depend on government funding. I blame it on the government takeover for the high cost .

[@SomewhereInIndiana1816]

It's quite simple: legal adults signed contracts to BORROW money they promised to pay back. PAY IT BACK. Borrow responsibly, and pursue a reasonable course of study. I see a lot of college students with new cars who take expensive spring break trips, use their loans to fund expensive studies in foreign countries, and have useless majors like X social group studies with a minor in bracelet making of the 18th century -- not employable at all. So, the adults who signed those promisory notes and got those useless degrees need to pay back the thousands of dollars they borrowed and squandered.

[@SomewhereInIndiana1816]

@@lastmanwalking2793 you're conflating issues. Stay on subject.

[@ashleynaomi3978]

It is only for low income families you selfish derp!

[@SomewhereInIndiana1816]

@@ashleynaomi3978 you mean the people who already got my money via grants?? I'm not paying to support a generation of helpless people who refuse to take responsibility for their choices. EVERYONE else before them could figure out how to be an adult and we shouldn't lower our expectations.

[@glenmel78]

I paid off my student debt with no fn handouts. If they can't do the same then their education had failed them.

[@charde9739]

How much did your schooling cost and what decade was that?

[@ashleynaomi3978]

Exactly these new generation have it bad still with covid and other viruses, I think we should help and invest in their future and stop being so selfish.

[@ImJiom]

@@charde9739 about 100 bucks

[@Beamshipcaptain]

They cant do the same because of inflation, and wage-suppression in America! The deliberate and willful destruction of the Middle CLass, and the creation of homelessness in America in the late 1980s, Reaganomics.

[@awesomecoolguy6515]

​@@charde9739How much did a gallon of gas cost ten years ago? The cost of everything has gone up. It's called INFLATION

[@athena3865]

Student loans should not be everyone's obligation any more than any other loan.

[@estebanrivera4786]

True. At the same time there are things that we pay for that we shouldn't with the amount of taxes that we pay. For example, prisons. Another example, wars that we've jumped into. Forgiving student loans helps those that are struggling with it for the most part.

[@blacknight88]

Everything the government pays for is everyone's obligation. We don't have a say so

[@Beamshipcaptain]

Student Debt was unknown when we were in college in the early 1980s. These kids are getting shafted.

[@SandCrabNews]

During my senior year of high school in 1972, I could see I was not prepared for college. The Vietnam War was going on, and there was a draft. I had learned some skills in high school and worked a few construction jobs. My dad was an electrician. I volunteered for the Navy wanting to be a Sea Bee Electrician Due to my scores in boot camp aptitude testing, I got lucky. I was sent into the aviation industry. So, from age 18, I have always had an income, a bed, clothes, meals, dental, medical, training, employment, promotions, etc. There is no draft today, but it could be called. Graduate high school, go to community college, get a forklift job, learn welding and shop skills. Learn PLC programming (3D printing, laser). Set a goal to become a floor supervisor then mid-level production manager in manufacturing by age 40. But, pay your own way.

[@charde9739]

Did you pay your own way to get that free education from the military…people like you, the ones who got to live their life to their standards and claim to be living the American dream , the ones who try to slam the door on everyone who will come after them, are the fuckn worse. According to your comment, you’re pretty old, so you’ll be gone soon. And we’ll be better for it

[@ashleynaomi3978]

Regardless if top Republicans used debt forgiveness, but you think it shouldn't be available to citizens huh go figure republican.

[@ashleynaomi3978]

Times are different it's not 1972 anymore less chances for opertunity, it's not like it was in the 50's when my dad just walked into gm right of the street and they instantly hired him those days are over get with current times grandpa!

[@paulie12345ish]

What about us fools who paid off their loan🤬

[@estebanrivera4786]

Sometimes it's timing. Things change or come up due to the times in which they happen and didn't happen.

[@Beamshipcaptain]

We were foolish. Especially when that loan did not result in a career, or a job that paid the bills! Even when we studied Software Engineering! Schools used to be affordable when we were young, back in the Carter-Era! Now it is pure usury, and predatory, and so unfair to the young people! WE NEVER HAD THIS! Follow the Money Trail. Someone is making money off of people's suffering.

[@PapiRaza]

F_ck ya republicans 😡😠☹️😥😭

[@merlingt1]

Because I paid mine and don’t want to pay for other’s stupid decisions? Why not pay my car loan then? That thing was a lemon.

[@debslee3165]

We did a prepaid plan for my student. If debt is forgiven I want all my money back plus 14 years of interest as I paid lump sum when my student was 3 years old. Bottom line they should pay! I paid for college once for my student I will not pay for the dead beats who took loans.

[@ashleynaomi3978]

Nice uneducated zombie, calling our youth dead beats at least they made it to college I doubt you did!

[@ashleynaomi3978]

And what the f+×÷ are you talking about with the whole (my student) thing that wording you are using sounds goofy af!

[@debslee3165]

@@ashleynaomi3978 hey btw I went to college at age 16 have a Bachelors of Science degree as well as my masters. Which I paid for myself ! How did you think I would have $10K cash and the smarts to invest in my 3 yo child’s future! Wake up

[@wheelie_bin]

Clearly, it has been a difficult experience for you to have to pay for your college, let alone at age 16. Nobody has to struggle this much to pay for something so beneficial; education. The purpose of student loan forgiveness is to spare people from this burden.