‘I will not make that happen’: Joe Biden shoots down $50K student loan forgiveness plan
Matthew Brown, USA TODAY Published 9:59 a.m. ET Feb. 17, 2021 | Updated 1:59 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2021CLOSE President Joe Biden made the case for his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on his first official trip outside Washington as president. USA TODAYPresident Joe Biden had a clear response when asked Tuesday by a CNN town hall attendee how he would enact a $50,000 student debt forgiveness plan.”I will not make that happen,” answered Biden.The president’s dismissal comes as some congressional Democrats have endorsed a student debt forgiveness program that would cancel up to $50,000 in debt for most Americans.”My point is: I understand the impact of debt, and it can be debilitating,” Biden assured. “I am prepared to write off the $10,000 debt but not $50 [thousand], because I don’t think I have the authority to do it,” said Biden, who has argued the president doesn’t have unilateral power to cancel student debt, an idea that has gained traction among progressives.In December, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., jointly called on Biden to cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt. Dozens of Democrats in the House of Representatives introduced a joint resolution in February
