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Biden confirms decision to forgive student loan near, payment break

  • Biden confirmed to reporters that he was close to deciding to forgive student loans.
  • He also said another extension of the student loan break was “at the table”.
  • Biden is likely to announce relief in July or August, closer to when payments need to be resumed.

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President Joe Biden has confirmed that a decision that will affect millions of student loan borrowers is on the horizon.

As he walked along the water in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Monday, Biden took a few minutes to talk to the press on topics ranging from collective bargaining to gas discount cards. He also acknowledged his long-awaited student loan forgiveness announcement. Recent reports suggest Biden is considering $ 10,000 in relief for borrowers earning less than $ 150,000 a year, and although the White House has not publicly confirmed any plans, Biden told reporters that yes, he is close. message.

A reporter also asked the president if he was considering another extension of the student loan break, which is currently expiring after August 31st.

“It’s all on the table right now,” Biden said.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Biden plans to announce a student loan easing in July or August, closer to the time when student loan payments will resume. This came after Biden told reporters in April that the decision to forgive the loan would be made “in the next few weeks.” Since then, advocates and many Democratic lawmakers have urged the president to use the time to get more relief instead of sticking to the $ 10,000 he promised during the election campaign.

New York’s Alexandria spokesman Ocasio Cortes, for example, said earlier that Democrats “can do better” than $ 10,000 by canceling debt, and she wrote in her Instagram story last weekend that “there are policies where The half approach is something like a loss, as it is not much better than nothing, and resources are better spent elsewhere. We insist that people can really experience the benefits of a policy, “given the forgiveness of student loans.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is advocating for $ 50,000 in relief, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the amount “is a number to get the most relief for most people.” Biden said in April that he was not considering a $ 50,000 relief, but Democrats like Warren are still pushing for more.

Meanwhile, many Republican lawmakers have criticized the idea of ​​widespread student loan relief, saying it would hurt the economy and cost taxpayers. Democrats and Republicans have asked Education Minister Miguel Cardona for information on how prepared the education department is to forgive after it is implemented.

“You said you were ready to act on student loan forgiveness, but you can only be ready if you know the plan; so please describe what that plan is? ”A leading Republican on the House of Representatives Education Committee, Virginia Fox wrote to Cardona.

Cardona said a few weeks ago that he was “ready to do what Biden decided”, but noted last month that “at some point, people will have to start paying what they can afford to pay”.