President Joe Biden announced Wednesday, May 22, that more than 160,000 borrowers will not have to repay $7.7 billion in student loans. The move is part of the ongoing debate surrounding student loan forgiveness, a topic that remains politically divisive.
This latest round of student loan forgiveness comes after the Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration’s broader loan forgiveness program last summer. The Department of Education reported that, through incremental changes made by the Biden administration, a total of $167 billion in student loan forgiveness has been approved.
However, how this news is reported varies significantly depending on the political bias of different news outlets.
Headlines from more left-leaning news outlets, including CNN and Bloomberg, emphasize “relief” in their portrayal of Biden’s actions.
CNN: “Biden administration announces additional $7.7 billion in student debt relief.”
Bloomberg: “Biden Widens Student Loan Relief to More Than 10% of Borrowers.”
Headlines from more right-leaning outlets, such as New York Post and Fox News, frame the student loan forgiveness as a “handout.”
New York Post: “Biden admin announces $7.7B student debt handout for 160K borrowers.”
Fox News: “Biden admin adds $7,700,000,000 to taxpayer tab with new student debt handout.”
On student loan forgiveness, there are very different political opinions which are evident by the two major political party leaders in the Senate.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., criticized student debt forgiveness, calling it a “scam” and arguing that it unfairly benefits those who didn’t pursue a four-year degree or worked their way through college.
On the other hand, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sees it as an opportunity to reduce the debt burden for Americans, allowing them to achieve their dreams.
President Biden released a statement following the most recent announcement of student forgiveness.
“I will never stop working to cancel student debt — no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to stop us,” Biden said.
Republican-led states have filed lawsuits challenging those initiatives.
