Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is essentially known for his destructive perspectives, and predictably, he celebrated a recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that dismantled the plan from President Joe Biden to provide wide-ranging relief for Americans from student debt.
Somehow, Hawley managed to characterize the attempt to provide that debt relief as set to disproportionately favor wealthy individuals, which in any context is a remarkably short-sighted way to view the situation. In no real-world scenario is lingering student loan debt something uniquely impacting wealthy Americans.
“The Court ends a massive giveaway to the wealthy, who benefited disproportionately from Biden’s scheme,” Hawley self-confidently wrote online. Miranda Yaver, a professor from Wharton College who has an extensive list of professional writing experience, fact-checked Hawley’s baloney in a reply viewed nearly a quarter of a million times, according to Twitter’s site metrics. “Oh yes, student loans are famously for the wealthy,” she mocked. “Among borrowers no longer in school, ~90% of Biden debt relief money goes toward those earning less than $75,000/year. Most Pell Grant recipients come from families with incomes less than $60,000.”
While Pell grants are, in fact, grants, it’s still a useful indicator of the kind of people who need financial assistance to get through school in the first place. And amid all of this, it’s not as though some of these same Republicans hailing the court’s decision on student debt didn’t themselves also benefit from debt relief in the context of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) money, an initiative that was kickstarted when Trump was president! The list of lawmakers who benefited as such even includes Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who these days does… something. (She recently posted a promotional image for some of her online commentary that had been edited to depict her outside the Capitol with a large firearm, so she’s predictably unhinged!)
Oh yes, student loans are famously for the wealthy.
Among borrowers no longer in school, ~90% of Biden debt relief money goes toward those earning less than $75,000/year. Most Pell Grant recipients come from families with incomes less than $60,000. https://t.co/XHI8tGJRat
— Miranda Yaver, PhD (@mirandayaver) June 30, 2023
