Cardona: Feeling People ‘Shouldn’t Get Help’ with Loans Is ‘un-American’

On Thursday’s broadcast of Bloomberg TV’s “Bloomberg Markets,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona responded to criticism of President Joe Biden’s student loan program that it’s not fair to people who paid back their loans by saying that “If something happened where my neighbor needs help to get back on their feet, me feeling that they shouldn’t get help, that’s un-American.”

Bloomberg host and reporter David Westin asked, [relevant exchange begins around 9:45] “[D]o you have some sympathy for people who say, I paid back my loans and I didn’t get this kind of break. It’s not quite fair?”

Cardona answered, “Look, we had a pandemic and we’re helping people who were most impacted by the pandemic. So, as someone that — I currently do not have loans and I paid for my degrees, I have four or five, I paid for them. And I was fortunate to be in a position where I could pay for them. If something happened where my neighbor needs help to get back on their feet, me feeling that they shouldn’t get help, that’s un-American. We’re going to help people when they’re down, get them back up, and provide a sustainable path of continued growth for them. That’s what we’re doing for the American people right now. And while some people chose not to go to college or maybe said they couldn’t afford to go to college so they’re not going, everybody knows somebody who’s struggling with debt. So, it might be their family member that’s going to get helped here. It’s the right thing to do after a pandemic, just like it was the right thing to do to help small businesses. And that’s what this President is doing and I’m proud to be a part of it and I’m proud that we’re going to be able to provide 43 million Americans some relief so they can move on with their life and move on with their education.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett