White House Reveals How Much PPP Loans of Some Republican Lawmakers Were Forgiven After They Criticized Student Loan Relief
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he would cancel $10,000 in federal student loan debt for most borrowers and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. However, several Republican lawmakers have criticized the program.
Biden said he plans to extend the pause on federal student loan payments up to December 31. However, not everybody is fond of the idea.
According to Yahoo! News, several Republican congressmen went around conservative media outlets like Newsmax and Fox Business, as well as social media, to call the student loan forgiveness unfair. However, the White House had a sassy pushback for these Republicans.
White House Tweeted That Student Loan Forgiveness Critics Had Millions Worth of Loans Forgiven
One of the program's most vocal critics was Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. She recently spoke to conservative network Newsmax and said the government forgiving student loans is "completely unfair."
However, in a tweet, the White House fired back and pointed out that Greene herself had $183,504 in PPP loans forgiven.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had $183,504 in PPP loans forgiven.https://t.co/4FoCymt8TB
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 25, 2022
Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania also criticized the move, saying it would benefit Wall Street advisors more than plumbers and carpenters. The White House replied to his tweet and reminded him that he had $987,237 in PPP loans forgiven.
Congressman Mike Kelly had $987,237 in PPP loans forgiven.https://t.co/Syb5Oe8gDG
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 25, 2022
Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, also a staunch critic of the program, was revealed to have over a million dollars of his PPP loans forgiven.
Congressman Kevin Hern had over $1 million in PPP loans forgiven. https://t.co/XsBaqxNZN4
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 25, 2022
Controversial Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who is currently the subject of a child sex trafficking investigation, also tweeted his criticisms of Biden's plan to forgive the debts of millions of Americans. The White House then revealed he had $482,321 in PPP loans forgiven.
Congressman Matt Gaetz had $482,321 in PPP loans forgiven.https://t.co/XPgC0pETkp
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 25, 2022
One of the most vocal critics is Florida's Vern Buchanan, who said this was a reckless loan giveaway and is unfair to the 87 percent of Americans without student loan debts. However, it turned out that Buchanan had the largest debt forgiven by the government, as he had over $2.3 million in PPP loans forgiven.
Congressman Vern Buchanan had over $2.3 million in PPP loans forgiven.https://t.co/bXpwJlWRm4
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 25, 2022
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Who is Eligible for Student Loan Debt Cancellation?
According to NBC News, borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year and couples who file taxes jointly and earn less than $250,000 will be eligible for debt cancellation.
Most student loan borrowers are Pell Grant recipients and will be eligible for an additional $10,000 in debt relief. The qualification is based on their incomes in either the 2020 or the 2021 tax year.
Qualified borrowers need to fill out an application with the Education Department. Those forms will be made available in the coming weeks.
The debt forgiveness will apply to undergraduate, graduate, and Parent Plus loans. However, students who were claimed as dependents by their parents will be evaluated based on their parents' income.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Biden Announces Arrangement for Student Loan Debt Forgiveness - From ABC News
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