More than two dozen senior Biden officials are struggling with student loan debt currently, prompting questions about whether the White House education loan forgiveness proposal is personal for the administration.
A potential conflict of interest appears as many are now questioning if President Joe Biden can objectively make decisions about student debt forgiveness, as the decision will directly affect many of his key aides … even though millions of Americans carry loans for college education as well.
Financial reports from 2021, obtained by Bloomberg News from the Office of Government Ethics, disclose the complexity of the White House’s stance on this controversial issue. The proposal was often referenced during Biden’s 2020 campaign against then-President Donald Trump.
Among the nearly 30 key White House staffers with significant student loan debt currently are his new press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, and Bharat Ramamurti, his deputy director of the National Economic Council, according to Bloomberg.
Late in the day on Friday, the White House revealed financial documents for 133 employees, though some staffers both current and former had not yet filed.
In total, the 30 White House employees revealing loan debt from their education costs claim 50 loans, valued between $2 million and $4.7 million in total.
Clearly, Biden’s administration is no different from any other company in America with young, educated employees, where many understand student loan debt is burdensome. Also revealed in financial disclosures, the heaviest burden fell on communities of color…disproportionately so, revealing there is an equity agenda to this decision, as well.
Reportedly, due to the proposal’s divisive nature, Biden has struggled with the idea of canceling a certain portion of student debt through executive order, as the 50-50 Congress has frequently been unfriendly to very progressive proposals like this one.
Meanwhile, the president has, several times, extended a freeze on payments and interest, allowing many Americans who carry such loans to not worry about their sometimes high payments throughout his office tenure thus far.
However, many Americans who worked hard to pay off their student loans already are not supportive of this agenda.
Some questioned the quality of the staffers’ education, in general, given the state of the country right now.
$4.7 million of the best education money can buy controlling the country right now and look at how absolutely off the rails America’s economy is. https://t.co/3QrDdhAHq3
— Anthony Abides (@AnthonyAbides) May 19, 2022
Other Twitter users pointed to the fact that the American taxpayers are already paying government salaries and getting precious little benefit in return, in reference to the country’s many despairs, at the moment.
Great, so we won’t just be paying their salaries but also paying off their debt. That’s pretty totalitarian.
— 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝑔𝒾𝑒𝟢𝟦𝟢𝟧 (@maggie0405) May 19, 2022
Looks like they got good jobs & have the means to pay their loans. That was the plan, right?
— Katch22 🍊 (@kalyx2020) May 19, 2022
An average of $150,000 per person. This is obscene.
— Pierce Gardner (@PierceGardner) May 20, 2022
Let them learn the importance of personal commitment, integrity and perseverance by meeting their assumed obligation. I didn’t agree to assume their debt and I gain nothing by paying it. I say, “bollocks”.
— Steven-o (@steveno88) May 19, 2022
Sounds like a pretty big conflict of interest to me…
— Squatching Duck (@sttngduck) May 20, 2022
And their salaries are? Seeing as they got prized positions working in the WH, it seems like they got a pretty good return on the education they took a loan out for. So they can absolutely pay it back.
— Holly Thornton (@beachmamax2) May 20, 2022
No one can “forgive” student loans. The debt doesn’t just “go away” All that can be done is to shift the burden from the deadbeat to the taxpayer. Why should the US taxpayer be on the hook for anyone’s personal debt? I also seriously question Biden’s authority to do this.
— Eric Webster (@EricDubU) May 19, 2022
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- Controversial former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey leaves board amid looming Musk takeover - May 26, 2022
- John Stossel: Expect more flight delays and thank the US government for impending pilot shortage - May 26, 2022
- Dem strategist: ‘Republicans want to force you to have kids so they have something to shoot at’ - May 26, 2022
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
BPR INSIDER COMMENTS
Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!
7 thoughts on “Seems ‘pretty totalitarian’: Dozens of senior WH staffers reportedly saddled with student loan debt”
Comments are closed.
Normally when a loan is forgiven the person who had the loan owes income tax on the forgiven amount. Why has no one mentioned this?
They have great paying jobs plus free peloton. They can pay their own debts
Too bad they don’t have to pay for their own gas! Maybe those prices would come down!
Can’t make those loan payments on a $155,000 salary….my heart weeps for you.
There are members of Congress (AOC for one) who have student debts. Who benefits from this: the student, the bank, the college. Who gets the short end: the taxpayer, especially those who have already paid off their student loans. On another note, when are Al Sharpton and AOC going to be held accountable for their back taxes? In other words, WTF is going on with this country?
From the RESULTS I’d say a Class Action Lawsuit against the colleges for EDUCATIONAL FRAUD would be in order!!
No one is forced to get a student loan.