Wyoming Senators Say Student Loan Forgiveness “Unconstitutional and Unfair”

A coalition of Republican senators is supporting legislation to prevent President Biden from forgiving student loan debt as the Supreme Court continues to explore its legality.

U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both R-Wyo., joined U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in reintroducing the Debt Cancellation Accountability Act.

This legislation would prevent the Biden administration from enacting an overreaching and irresponsible blanket cancellation of student loans. It requires the U.S. Department of Education to obtain an express appropriation from Congress to pay for any federal student loan debts the Department proposes to waive, discharge, or otherwise reduce whenever granted to two or more borrowers in an amount greater than $1,000,000, rather than on a case-by-case basis.

“Our nation is facing a staggering $31 trillion worth of debt, and we have closed in on the debt ceiling, yet the Biden administration is still attempting to cancel millions of dollars in student loans. This is just another example of how far he will go to appease the radical left. The reality is, a blanket forgiveness of student loans only benefits a small percentage of the population at the expense of millions of other hardworking Americans,” said Senator Scott. “Those who have saved to pay for the education they chose to get, or have no debt at all because they chose a valuable career that doesn’t require a college degree, shouldn’t be on the hook to bail out folks that voluntarily took on debt and now want someone else to pay for it. That’s not how the real world works. Our legislation, the Debt Cancellation Accountability Act, will hold this administration accountable to American taxpayers by requiring Congressional approval for any mass cancellation of student debt. When I was governor of Florida, we focused on solving the real problem behind massive student loan debt: the rising cost of higher education. Biden should do the same.”

Both Wyoming senators support Senator Scott, saying student loan forgiveness is unfair to taxpayers and will “only make things worse.”

“President Biden’s attempt to cancel millions of dollars in student loans undercuts hardworking Americans who are responsibly paying off their debt. The country is still feeling the pain of record high prices, and these misguided proposals from the radical Democrats only make things worse,” said Senator Barrasso. “Our bill will hold the administration accountable and make sure no taxpayer in Wyoming or across the country is stuck paying off someone else’s student loans.”

“It is lunacy that the Biden administration believes that people in Wyoming should fund his student loan bailout. It is unconstitutional, and it is unfair,” said Senator Lummis. “Thank you to Senator Rick Scott for introducing this important legislation.”

Additional cosponsors include U.S. Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).