Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) called a proposed plan by Democrats to cancel student debt is “immoral” Tuesday and said it places a burden on taxpayers who did not attend college.
“When you say #cancelstudentdebt, you’re saying a minority of people who had the advantage of obtaining a degree should have their debt paid off by hardworking taxpayers, 2/3 of whom don’t have degrees themselves, or already paid their own student debt off,” Crenshaw said. “This is immoral.”
Crenshaw’s comments came a day after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a top-tier 2020 presidential candidate, rolled out legislation to cancel $1.6 trillion in outstanding student debt for 45 million borrowers.
{mosads}The legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also backs the bill and spoke in favor of it at a press conference Monday.
Sanders said the plan would be entirely funded by a Wall Street tax.
“During the financial crisis, Wall Street received the largest taxpayer bailout in American history. Now it is Wall Street’s turn to help rebuild the disappearing middle class,” Sanders tweeted Monday.
The Hill has reached out to Sanders, Omar, Jayapal and Ocasio-Cortez for comment.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a fellow progressive in the presidential primary, announced legislation to cancel student debt earlier this month.
Warren’s plan would forgive up to $50,000 in student loan debt for anyone with a total household income below $100,000. She’s said a wealth tax would pay for the debt forgiveness.