President Joe Biden wrongly said that he got student debt forgiveness “passed by a vote or two.” There was no vote. Biden simply announced that the Department of Education would provide debt relief, and the plan is facing a legal challenge.
Issues: student loans
Q&A on Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness
The White House announced on Aug. 24 that President Joe Biden will take action this year to cancel thousands of dollars in federal student loan debt for millions of Americans, fulfilling a campaign promise he made during the 2020 election cycle. We answer some of the questions readers may have about the debt relief plan, and address political claims about the impact of the plan.
Schumer, Warren Misstate Student Loan Debt Disparity
FactChecking the November Democratic Debate
Ralph Northam’s ‘Sell Out’ Stretch
FlackCheck Video: Fiorina on Student Loans
Fiorina Misleads on Student Loans
Student Loan Stretching
Obama Misquotes GOP Congresswoman
President Obama misrepresented the position of Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx on college debt. The president quoted Foxx as saying that she had “very little tolerance for people who tell me they graduate with debt.” But Foxx was speaking explicitly about those with very large amounts of debt, a fact that Obama omitted and that changes the meaning of the North Carolina congresswoman’s statement.
The sin of omission was in Obama’s speech in Boulder, Colo., as the president pushed for the extension of current federal student loan interest rates.
Congress Not Exempt from Student Loans
Q: Is it true that members of Congress, their staffers and their family members do not have to pay back their student loans?
A: Not true. Some congressional employees are eligible to have up to $60,000 of student loans repaid after several years — just like other federal workers. But that’s not the case for members of Congress or their families.