Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is making her closing pitch to include student debt cancellation in the next stimulus package, expected to happen in the coming two weeks. In two recent tweets, Warren reiterated her position linking to twoForbes articles about student loan forgiveness in the next stimulus.
Senator Warren has been a leader on student debt issues in her time in the Senate, taking on for-profit colleges and pushing the Obama administration to grant student debt forgiveness for defrauded students. In her presidential campaign, Warren proposed sweeping student debt cancellation along with her plan to make public colleges tuition-free.
When the coronavirus swept the nation and shuttered the economy, lawmakers were proposing various ideas to provide relief to the American people and stimulate the economy. Warren made a push for Congress to make payments for student borrowers during the national emergency and include a minimum of $10,000 of student debt cancellation for each borrower in the coronavirus relief package.
Senator Warren is in the minority in the Senate but is influential in both the Senate and with many in the House. In fact, Warren got a number of Senate Democrats on board with the proposal, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate education committee ranking member Patty Murray (D-WA).
The CARES Act didn’t include student debt cancellation, but instead suspended payments for six months, interest-free. Now, Congress is considering another round of coronavirus relief and Warren and others are pushing for student debt cancellation to be included.
Senator Warren is making the case that student loan forgiveness is a good tool to stimulate the economy. Warren also says that student debt cancellation was a way to help close the racial wealth gap. She is making her closing pitch to get student loan forgiveness included in the final relief, but it is not yet clear if she will be successful.
House Democrats eventually backed off of their universal debt forgiveness proposal and limited it to distressed borrowers due to the cost. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said the next package won’t be as large. Senator Warren has been known for her effectiveness and willingness to fight, so it is likely that something related to student loans will be included, even if that is just an extension of the student loan repayment hiatus.
This article originally appeared on Forbes.
