Republicans Launch Bill To OVERTURN Biden Effort To Lower Student Loan Payments

A group of Republicans in the Senate have put forth legislation that would overturn President Biden's measure to lower student loan payments for struggling Americans. While the bill is unlikely to actually pass, the message behind the legislation could not be any more clear: Republicans want poor people to suffer. That is their whole agenda, and it is glaringly obvious today. Ring of Fire's Farron Cousins discusses this.

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*This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos.

Recently the Biden administration through the Department of Education, uh, put out a new set of repayment guidelines for low income Americans. Basically, it said, if you make $15 an hour or less, your student loan payment under our new repayment plan, uh, drops to $0 per month. Now that $0 per month payment is not a forgiving of your debt, like your debt still exists, you're just legally not required to pay it until you make more money and have money to pay it. That's it. This was not a student loan forgiveness plan. This was, Hey, if you're poor, we're gonna, you know, lower your payment down to $0. The payment still exists, it's just the number of the payment is $0.

This week, Republicans in the Senate led by Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican Senator John Thune, and Republican Senator John Cornyn, along with 13 other Republican co-sponsors, put forth legislation to undo this move by the Biden Department of Education. They also, uh, have a companion bill in the house put forward by Republican representatives, Lisa McClain and Virginia Fox. So you've got Republicans in the house and Republicans in the Senate. Even though, by the way, the one in the Senate is not going to pass, which means there's not gonna be any reconciliation. The, the, the new rule is not actually in danger. What is in danger is the American public themselves. Because what these Republicans did this week by even putting forth this legislation is they told poor people, you. That is the only purpose of this legislation is to send a big, giant middle finger to every single working class low income American in this country. Because again, it's not forgiving student loan debt. So there's no constitutional issue here. And by the way, the Department of Education is 100% able to set the repayment guidelines based on income. This is within their authority. But here's what these idiot, poor hating Republicans said. Uh, this was Cassidy, bill Cassidy. This is what he said. Our resolution protects the 87% of Americans who don't have student debt and will be forced to shoulder the burden of president's irresponsible and unfair policy.

So Bill Cassidy, Republican, you're telling me that if a presidential administration,

Or I guess if Congress passes a bill that does not benefit or, or introduces a measure or changes a rule that does not benefit 100% of the public, that it should immediately be overturned? Because if that's the case, you can say bye-bye to your little tax breaks for the Wealthy Elite. 'cause I didn't get a tax break. Hundreds of millions of Americans didn't get a tax break, but that top 1% got a tax break. Actually, I think the top 10% got tax breaks, but that leaves 90% didn't get anything. So by your own standards, you have to repeal your tax cuts.

Sorry, I don't make the rules. I just enforce them based on your stupid talking points. So maybe you ought to revamp that before somebody with a much bigger microphone than me makes that argument in front of the entire American public. Why don't you just come out and say like, Hey, we don't want poor people to make lower student loan payments. And by the way, it doesn't drop 'em all to zero. Some of them still have to make actual payments.