Psaki: Student Loan Borrowers Likely to Have to Pay Debt ‘Sometime’

On this week’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that student loan borrowers would have to start paying their debt “sometime” while discussing the administration’s fourth extension on the monthly loan payments and interest.

Anchor Dana Perino said, “On December 11 of last year, you had said that getting loan rate payment back on track was the goal.”

She added, “We’ve got a lot of jobs open, wages are up, they are able to figure out a way to get to 3.6% unemployment. What changed between then and now?
Psaki said, “Well, this is something the Department of Education continues to assess. We continue to assess from a policy level. While the basics of the economy, all that data you mentioned and I’ve been talking about, Dana, is very strong, we also know and acknowledge that costs are too high for families across the country, and that’s something we need to redouble, continue to focus our efforts on. Certainly, while there isn’t everybody in the country who has student loans, a lot of people do, and this is a period microphone, but the president, Department of Education made the decision to continue the pause repayments, and we will continue to assess as we get closer to the next deadline in August.”

Perino said, “Do you think that if you hold student loan debt right now, that you will ever have to make a payment during the Biden administration?”

Psaki said, “I suspect that sometime you will, but again, we are going to continue to assess every month, every few months on where things stand, both looking, of course at COVID, but also economic data and where we need to continue to help give the American people some breathing room.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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