Manchin says it was 'excessive' for Biden to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt per borrower

• Biden announced up to $20,000 in student-loan forgiveness for some federal borrowers in August.

• Sen. Joe Manchin called the relief "excessive."

• "I just think there's a better way to do it," Manchin said, suggesting relief should be further targeted.

Sen. Joe Manchin has weighed in on President Joe Biden's long-awaited student-loan forgiveness announcement.

At the end of August, Biden announced up to $20,000 in federal debt cancellation for Pell Grant recipients making under $125,000 a year, and up to $10,000 in relief for other federal borrowers under the same income cap. While many Democratic lawmakers lauded the move — some even vowed to continue pushing the president to go further — Manchin called the blanket relief "excessive."

"I just think there's a better way to do it," he told reporters on Tuesday. "You have to earn it."

For much of the year, Manchin played a make-or-break role for the party's climate, healthcare, and tax agenda. Last month, he lent his pivotal support to the Inflation Reduction Act, the centerpiece of Democrats' economic plans that he authored in secret with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. It passed with no Republican votes.

But unlike that expansive measure, he had no sway in Biden's design of the student loan relief program.

Manchin's view is not entirely unique to his party. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, who is up for reelection in November, said in a statement following Biden's announcement that he wished Biden had "further targeted the relief, and proposed a way to pay for this plan."

"While immediate relief to families is important, one-time debt cancellation does not solve the underlying problem," Bennet said.

While many Republican lawmakers continue to slam the relief, citing the cost it could have to taxpayers and the economy, the leading voices on loan forgiveness, like Schumer, have vowed to continue pushing for $50,000 in relief, even after Biden's administration has said on multiple occasions this is "one-time" blanket loan forgiveness.

Schumer on Tuesday hailed Biden for taking action on student debt relief and assailed Republicans for what he called "fake outrage" on the issue.

"The president's decision will make it easier for millions of Americans to finally pursue their own American Dream," he said in a Tuesday Senate floor speech. "Whether that means making that down payment on a house or buying that new car or opening a business."

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