Far-left “Squad” member Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) pushed the Biden administration to cancel “all” student loan debt on Friday, framing the move as a viable way to “thank Black women,” specifically.
“You want to thank Black women? Cancel student debt — all of it. Black women carry more student debt than any other group in America,” Pressley said on Friday.
“Save your words of appreciation,” she continued. “Policy is our love language”:
You want to thank Black women?
Cancel student debt — all of it.
Black women carry more student debt than any other group in America.
Save your words of appreciation. Policy is our love language.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) January 19, 2021
Her call follows this week’s confusion over the Biden administration’s position on canceling student loan debt.
President Biden sparked the confusion during Tuesday’s CNN town hall, telling an audience member that he will not cancel up to $50,000 of student loan debt, as demanded by many in the Democrat caucus.
“We need student loan forgiveness beyond the potential $10,000 your administration has proposed. We need at least a $50,000 minimum. What will you do to make that happen?” an audience member asked the president.
“I will not make that happen,” Biden responded, casting doubt on his authority to cancel $50,000 in debt “by signing with a pen.” He did, however, say that he was “prepared to write off the $10,000 debt, but not $50,000″:
From the Biden town hall on CNN last night, this questioner asked about canceling $50,000 worth of student debt:
“What will you do to make that happen?”
“I will not make that happen.” pic.twitter.com/Y7auUT2YQZ— The Recount (@therecount) February 17, 2021
White House press secretary Jen Psaki later said Biden was “reiterating his previous stated position, which is that he doesn’t favor $50,000 in student loan relief without limitations.” She added that Biden would “ask them [the Department of Justice] to conduct a legal review of his authority to act on executive action in conjunction with a policy review from his Domestic Policy Council on how executive action debt relief, if any, should be targeted.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) also spoke out following the town hall, expressing dissatisfaction with the prospect of the president canceling only $10,000 in student loan debt per person.
“Many won’t fully feel $10k in forgiveness until after a Biden presidency is over, when they’ve spent 10 years paying off the other $20k+,” she said, adding that Democrats “should be championing policy that people can feel ASAP.”
“We need to go big,” she added:
Average student loan debt in the US is ~$30k (LOTS have more)
Many won’t fully feel $10k in forgiveness until after a Biden presidency is over, when they’ve spent 10 years paying off the other $20k+
Dems should be championing policy that people can feel ASAP. We need to go big.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 17, 2021
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