As President JoeBiden and Democrats stare into a tricky midterm election cycle that could see them lose majorities in both the House and Senate, the recently extended student loan pause could be one way to help keep young voters engaged this November.
Initiated by former President Donald Trump in March 2020 as a pandemic measure, Biden has enthusiastically extended the pause, billing it as a way to protect people from financial hardship, while White House officials boast that the administration is the only one in history under which no one has been required to pay back student loan debt.
"Certainly, in a midterm year that doesn't have the greatest outlook for Democrats in the legislative branch, making sure that you keep young voters in the Democratic caucus is important," said Central College political science professor Andrew Green."Going into the 2022 midterms, obviously there's a vested interest among Democrats to make sure voters are energized and ready to go to the polls.
Justification for the pause has gradually shifted away from the pandemic and toward the shock that requiring payments would create, particularly with inflation running high. For example, the letter from 100 Democrats argues that most borrowers are not financially prepared to repay loans due to inflation.
The pause affects 41 million borrowers who collectively hold more than $1.3 trillion in total debt and has already cost taxpayers more than $100 billion, according to Education Department estimates. The Biden administration inherited the pause from Trump, but officials such as White House chief of staff Ron Klain and press secretary Jen Psaki are now touting it as a plus for the current White House.
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