Democrats criticized for blocking GOP measure to prohibit Biden from canceling student loan debt

House Democrats unanimously blocked a measure that would have stopped the Biden administration from enacting a policy that would cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in student loan debt.

The amendment, introduced by Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, would have prohibited the Biden administration from moving forward with its student loan debt cancellation plan, which the congresswoman argues is an abuse of his executive power.

The Democrats’ move to block the amendment Thursday during the House Appropriations Committee markup of a fiscal year 2023 Labor Health and Human Services and Education bill, earned the scorn of several interest groups and Republicans.

“President Biden has spent over $100 billion extending the moratorium on student loan repayments. Now, the Administration is considering forgiving at least $10,000 of student loan debt per borrower, most of which are wealthy, liberal elites,” Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform told Fox News Digital.

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“At a time of record inflation, largely due to reckless spending, it’s hard to think of a more irresponsible policy. Thankfully, Representative Ashley Hinson introduced an amendment to prevent this during today’s full committee markup to the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHSE) appropriations bill. This amendment would prohibit the Administration from forgiving student loan debt. All lawmakers should support this amendment,” continued Norquist. 

Hinston, who is leading the charge in the House, called it a “slap in the face.”

“The Administration is failing these Americans by forcing them to pay for the debt others consented to take on. If President Biden’s misguided idea moves forward, about 13 percent of the population will benefit at the expense of the other 87 percent—what a slap in the face,” Hinson explained in prepared remarks. 

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“All that this Administration is proposing to do is shift that debt onto the backs of hardworking Iowans and Americans. It’s being paid for by those who chose not to go to college and those who worked hard to pay back their loans. Why should we make truck drivers, bartenders, electricians, and plumbers pay for someone else’s master’s degree? Should a family farmer have to pay for a lawyer’s Harvard education? Should my constituents who have already paid off their own loans have to now pay off someone else’s? No. Absolutely not.”

Republicans are pushing back on the Biden administration’s proposed debt forgiveness proposal for a variety of reasons, including that it may be a conflict of interest for Biden political appointees working on the policy.

Earlier this month, House Republicans demanded an ethics investigation into the White House’s proposed student loan forgiveness plan, which they say is an illegal “unjust wealth transfer” from hardworking Americans and also a conflict of interest for Biden administration political appointees working on the policy.

The White House’s most recent proposal would forgive $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers with a household yearly income below $300,000.

That number adds to an already robust $25 billion in student loan relief under Biden. About 43 million federal borrowers still owe a total of $1.6 trillion in college debt, according to the Education Data Initiative.

America First Works also chimed in, telling Fox News Digital in a statement: “Until underlying problems are addressed, loan forgiveness is at best a Band-Aid solution, and student loan balances will continue to balloon the moment Fall tuition bills come due.”