The Senate has voted to kill President Biden’s $400 billion dollar student loan forgiveness handout, with Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) joining the GOP.
The vote was 52-46 to scrap the controversial handout. Last week, members of the House voted 218-203 to kill the handout as well.
“It’s something of a slap in the face to Americans who chose more affordable college options or worked their way through school to avoid taking on student loans, or whose parents scrimped and saved to put them through college,” Sen. John Thune (R-SD) said on the Senate floor.
“It’s deeply unfair to ask the many Americans who worked hard to pay off their loans or who never pursued college in the first place to take on the burden of student debt for individuals who took out loans for college or graduate school and agreed to pay them back,” he said.
Democrats say the decision will hurt Americans struggling to stay afloat economically.
“I’ve heard from so many people across my state who were so grateful and relieved to have a glimmer of hope finally, to see a light at the end of the tunnel, and now, Republicans want to snuff it out,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA).
“Republicans are willing to do anything and everything to prevent you from living a life without crushing debt,” she said. “Millions of Americans find themselves unfairly bogged down with massive debt so often through no fault of their own.”
President Biden is expected to veto the resolution.
“Americans should be able to have a little more breathing room as they recover from the economic strains associated with the COVID-19 pandemic,” the White House said in a statement.
More over at Fox News:
Senate votes to kill $400 billion student loan handout, sets up fifth Biden veto https://t.co/ZR3ZlLiDHM
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 1, 2023
