Help for elites at expense of plumbers? GOP seeks midterm gains by slamming Biden student debt plan
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WASHINGTON — Republicans are working to make President Joe Biden's historic action to forgive student loan debt an economic wedge issue in November's midterm elections, with a barrage of attacks casting the move as elitist and unfair to the plumbers, waitresses and truck drivers who never went to college.
While Biden and Democrats hope the debt cancellation energizes young voters for the midterm races, Republicans are appealing to blue-collar Americans who tend to lack college degrees.
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What is the Republican strategy?
The GOP case: Republicans set out to paint the recipients of up to $20,000 in student loan forgiveness as a handout for wealthy and privileged students at the expense of hard-working Americans.
First attack ad: The American Action Network, which works to elect Republican House candidates, released a 60-second television ad Friday that calls Biden's student loan debt forgives "a bailout for rich kids."
The messengers: The ad, which will air nationwide for the next 10 days, has three narrators: a waitress who says she works two jobs, a lawn worker and an auto mechanic. They're frustrated and perplexed by the president's plan. "Want to be a struggling artist? College is on me," the auto mechanic says. "Enjoy your free ride."
Midterm shake-up? Republicans hope the student loan issue can halt Democratic momentum. Democrats have been riding high following a series of legislative wins in Congress, capped by approval of a sweeping climate and health bill, a top Biden priority. There's also evidence from recent special elections that Democrats are energized by abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The White House hits back
Biden defended the fairness of his plan, which he said is about "giving people a fair shot" and helping the middle class. He said no one in the top 5% of incomes will benefit. He also called out Republicans' 2017 tax cuts for corporations under President Donald Trump as a policy that benefited the wealthy.
Mounting an aggressive defense Thursday on Twitter, the White House singled out Republican lawmakers – including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who had substantial emergency small business loans during the pandemic forgiven yet are criticizing Biden's student loan debt forgiveness.
'Debt and no degree': Biden cancels as much as $20K in student loan debt: Recap
The president is using executive action to cancel up to $20,000 for recipients of Pell Grants, which are awarded to low-income students who display "exceptional financial need." He's canceling $10,000 for other federal student loan borrowers, but only those who earn less than $125,000 or live in households earning less than $250,000 are eligible.
About 75% of the benefit of Biden's student debt cancellation will go to households making $88,000 or less, according to an analysis from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The study, however, also found a substantial cost: The student debt cancelation alone will cost the federal government up to $519 billion, according to the analysis. The price tag could rise to more than $1 trillion when factoring in other components, such as new income-driven loan payments that will reduce monthly payments by borrowers.
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Takeaways
In recent election cycles, Republicans have amassed significant electoral advantages among white voters who lack college degrees, particularly in rural areas.
There's a widening education polarization in the U.S. in which college-educated Americans have increasingly voted Democratic and non-college Americans have voted Republican.
Look for Republican to use Biden's student loan cancellation as a targeted wedge to try to peel off even more of these voters in key swing states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio that have competitive Senate races.
How do I get my student loans forgiven? Qualifying for Biden's debt relief, explained.
As much as Biden's student loan debt forgiveness presents an opportunity to motivate young voters – who often sit out midterm elections – he's also opened himself up to a new line of attack that could resonate for some.
Still, Democrats see a net-plus. A USA TODAY/Public Agenda poll in July found 59% of Americans support forgiving a significant portion of government student for college graduates. A Harvard University poll found that 85% of Americans 18 to 29 years – who overwhelmingly lean Democratic – support some form of government action on student loan debt.
What they are saying
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called Biden's student loan debt cancellation "socialism" that is a "slap in the face" to working Americans who paid off their debts and those who opted for a different career path to avoid college debt.
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, hit on a major GOP theme: "Why should a machinist in Ohio pay for the student loans of a jobless philosophy major in Los Angeles?"
Most Democrats lauded Biden's student debt cancellation, but some progressive groups want more relief. Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, said the move "takes us one step closer" to the group's ultimate goal of alleviating all student load debt. "We've got a ways to go," he said.
But multiple Democrats running in competitive Senate races distanced themselves from the policy. "In my view, the administration should have further targeted the relief, and proposed a way to pay for this plan," said Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, the Democratic Senate nominee in Ohio, opposed the debt cancelation outright, saying it "sends the wrong message" to the millions of Ohioans without a college degree. “Instead of forgiving student loans for six-figure earners, we should be working to level the playing field for all Americans," he said, so that "all Americans – not just college grads – have a shot at success."
Conversely, Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, who's also running in a Rust Belt state, seemed to embrace Biden's action. "John has always been clear that we need to cancel some of the student loan debt that’s crippling Pennsylvanians, especially for folks who are struggling," campaign spokesman Joe Calvello said.
Why it matters
With less than 80 days before the midterm election, Biden jolted the race to control Congress with a significant and controversial action to cancel student loan debt for millions of Americans.
Republicans and Democrats both believe they can turn the issue into votes in November. How the debate plays out could go a long way determining whether Democrats maintain control of Congress or Republican take over.
Student debt: Why are some people so angry about Biden loan forgiveness program?
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden's student debt forgiveness a blue-collar wedge for Republicans
