Far-left Democratic members of Congress are furious at the Supreme Court decision Friday to block President Joe Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness plan.
Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez urged Biden to continue pursuing student debt forgiveness despite the Supreme Court ruling against Biden’s debt relief plan under the HEROES Act of 2003.
Ocasio-Cortez encouraged the president to circumvent the ruling by using the Higher Education Act to forgive student loans. She currently holds up to $50,000 in student loan debt, according to her most recent financial disclosure documents. (RELATED: Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden’s Student Loan Giveaway)
“It is very important to note this SCOTUS ruling does NOT remove Biden’s ability to pursue student loan forgiveness. The Biden Admin can use the HEA (Higher Ed Act) – our position from the start – to continue loan forgiveness before payments resume. They should do so ASAP,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
Just last year, DOE forgave $6 BILLION for defrauded students. Trump completely wiped out debt for disabled veterans. Neither program was challenged nor overturned.
We still have the power to cancel and must use it, or we’re looking at an economic crisis for millions of people.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 30, 2023
“Just last year, DOE forgave $6 BILLION for defrauded students. Trump completely wiped out debt for disabled veterans. Neither program was challenged nor overturned. We still have the power to cancel and must use it, or we’re looking at an economic crisis for millions of people,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar agreed that Biden should use the Higher Education Act and argued for Supreme Court reforms such as packing the court. Omar has between $15,000 and $50,000 in student loan debt, according to her most recent financial disclosure filing.
“Every option should be on the table to deliver relief and fix this broken court. Use the Higher Education Act. SCOTUS term limits. Mandatory ethics rules. Limit judicial review. Expand the court,” Omar tweeted.
Ocasio-Cortez and Omar were backed up by their fellow “squad” lawmakers, Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman.
“Expand the court,” Tlaib tweeted.
“This morning, the Supreme Court demolished the possibility of financial freedom for 43 million Americans. Republicans have consistently tried to block student loan relief from their constituents while they sit back and have their business loans forgiven,” Bowman tweeted.
“Millions of Americans deserve and would benefit from student debt relief. Black and brown Americans who have experienced the consequences of the racial wealth gap deserve relief,” Bowman continued.