AP.- For the activists of student loans, the week began with hope when the president Joe Biden gave his clearest indication that he was considering writing off the federal debt rather than simply allowing the borrowers defer payments during the pandemic.
But that soon gave way to disappointment when Biden noted days later that any relief from debt it would be much less than the activists wanted. So Melissa Byrne, one of the organizers who has been leading the charge, went back to work.
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First, he tweeted that activists need to “step up” their efforts, stay “warm + fuzzy” and “fight until we win.”
“White House staff read the tweets,” he explained. Then she and her allies dove into their group chats as they considered ways to keep up the pressure. “We have to keep an eye on the award,” Byrne said.
The flurry of activity comes at a crucial stretch, with Biden saying he would make a decision in the coming weeks. After promising to tackle the problem during his campaign to presidentnow you are weighing how much student loan debt federal funds should be canceled and who should benefit.
Critics warn that forgiving debt could anger voters who already paid off their loans, with Republicans describing the idea as a political giveaway in a midterm election year. However, an expansive approach could encourage young people whom Democrats see as a central part of their coalition, allowing Biden obtain concrete results when many of its leftist proposals are still stuck in the Capitol.
John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, said the cancellation of student loans is “a cornerstone in the relationship between the president Biden and young Americans.
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Without young voters on board, “we don’t have a Democratic Houseand Senate a Democrat and a Democratic president,” said Della Volpe, who worked as a consultant for the Biden’s campaign.
About 43 million Americans owe $1.6 billion on their student loans, more than the Credit cards or car payments. It is a growing problem for young people, who have taken on more and more debt to finance their education when public funding for universities has decreased.
And it’s a challenge Biden have personally experienced. While running for office, she told a student in New Hampshire that he “ended up over $280,000 in debt” to pay for college and graduate school for his three children. “I get it,” she said.
In a Harvard Kennedy School survey of Americans under 30 released Monday, 85% said the federal government should take some action on student loan debt.
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However, opinions were divided on the best way forward. Although 38% supported full cancellation, 21% wanted that step to be taken only for those with the greatest financial need. Also, 27% wanted the government to help with the payment, but not with the cancellation Of the debt.
Biden he said Thursday that he was still considering what to do. “I am in the process of taking a hard look at whether or not there will be additional debt forgiveness,” she said. “And I will have an answer on that in the next few weeks.”
Your idea may include means tests, which means limiting by income who would see their debts forgiven.
“He’s talked in the past about how, you know, he doesn’t think millionaires and billionaires obviously should benefit, or even people with the highest incomes,” White House press secretary Trump said Thursday. Jen Psaki. “So that’s certainly something he would be looking at.”.