With just a short time to go before the first debates in the Democratic presidential primary, contender and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) has unveiled a plan to cancel more than $1.5 trillion in student loan debt for everyone across the United States who has some of it. Prominent progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has come out in favor of the legislation, speaking in support alongside Sanders and fellow Reps. Ilhan Omar (Minn.) and Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), who are introducing a version of Sanders’ plan in the House.
On Twitter following her commentary outside the Capitol building, Ocasio-Cortez shared:
‘Student loans are a scam. That’s why I join
@BernieSanders,@RepJayapal &@IlhanMN to forgive ALL student loans AND make colleges tuition-free. PS: for the cost of the GOP tax scam (~$2 TRILLION), we could’ve already forgiven every student loan in America w/ billions left over.’
Student loans are a scam.
That’s why I join @BernieSanders, @RepJayapal & @IlhanMN to forgive ALL student loans AND make colleges tuition-free.
PS: for the cost of the GOP tax scam (~$2 TRILLION), we could’ve already forgiven every student loan in America w/ billions left over. https://t.co/GXRHHWoKai
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 24, 2019
During her time outside in D.C. with Sanders and the others, Ocasio-Cortez discussed the fact that since she’s now in Congress but still has outstanding student loan debt, it was “easier” for her to become the youngest woman elected to Congress in American history than it was for her to have a chance to pay off that debt. She insisted that accomplishing that “nearly impossible” task should not be a bar for Americans to have to reach for who are struggling with student loan debt.
She has consistently supported progressive policy pushes along these lines, like when she joined the push for New York state to pass now in place new protections for renters.
Meanwhile, Sanders is not the only presidential candidate to have a plan to cancel student debt, which in his case he hopes to pay for through new taxes of less than one percent on Wall Street income. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has also rolled out a plan to eliminate the student debt burden for many Americans, but hers is more limited. As ABC News explains, she hopes to cancel “up to $50,000 in student loan debt for people with a household income under $100,000” and limited further amounts for those with household incomes up to $250,000, and she plans to stop her policy there, with no assistance for higher brackets.
Warren and Sanders will not be featured at the same night of the upcoming two-night Democratic candidate debate event, but the topic still may come up anyway.
Check out Twitter’s response to Ocasio-Cortez joining the conversation…
Featured Image via screenshot
