'Blatant pandering for votes': Joe Biden slammed after announcing another $6.1B in student debt relief

WASHINGTON, DC: In a strategic move aimed at providing relief to thousands burdened by student loan debt, President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday, May 1, the approval of $6.1 billion in student debt cancellation for approximately 317,000 individuals who attended the Art Institutes.

The decision represents the latest effort by the Biden administration to gratify student borrowers following the Supreme Court's rejection of a broader debt forgiveness plan last year.

Biden's declaration about debt cancellation

“Today, my Administration is approving $6.1 billion in student debt cancellation for 317,000 borrowers who attended the Art Institutes,” Biden said in a statement.

“This institution falsified data, knowingly misled students, and cheated borrowers into taking on mountains of debt without leading to promising career prospects at the end of their studies.”

"We will never stop fighting to deliver relief to borrowers, hold bad actors accountable, and bring the promise of college to more Americans," he added.

The relief will extend to students enrolled in the Art Institutes between January 1, 2004, and October 16, 2017. During this period, the Department of Education identified "pervasive and substantial misrepresentations to prospective students about postgraduation employment rates, salaries, and career services." 

The now-defunct Art Institutes, headquartered in Atlanta with locations nationwide, including critical swing states like Arizona and Pennsylvania, played a central role in the educational landscape. However, its closure left many students grappling with the burden of student loan debt and uncertain career prospects.

The Department of Education will promptly notify eligible borrowers, including those who have not formally applied for borrower defense. Additionally, previous payments made towards student loans will be refunded, with an average of approximately $19,000 per borrower.

Biden administration's debt relief initiatives

With this latest round of student loan forgiveness, the Biden administration's total debt relief approvals have reached nearly $160 billion, benefiting almost 4.6 million borrowers, averaging nearly $35,000 per student, NPR reported.

President Biden has been actively pursuing measures to alleviate the student debt crisis, proposing a federal regulation expected to cancel up to $20,000 in accrued interest for over 25 million debtors, supplementing previous actions that wiped out $146 billion in federally owned debt.

However, these initiatives have faced criticism from Republicans, who accuse the president of "buying votes" and argue that such bailouts are unfair to non-college-educated voters and individuals who have already repaid their loans.

President Biden, in contrast, has framed these efforts as essential steps to rectify the negligence of previous administrations.

“While my predecessor looked the other way when colleges defrauded students and borrowers, I promised to take this on directly to provide borrowers with the relief they need and deserve,” he said.

“Over the last three years, my Administration has approved nearly $29 billion in debt relief for 1.6 million borrowers whose colleges took advantage of them, closed abruptly, or were covered by related court settlements, compared to just 53,500 borrowers who had ever gotten their debt canceled through these types of actions before I took office. And in total, we have approved debt cancellation for nearly 4.6 million Americans through various actions," Biden added.

Social media backlash

The announcement, however, sparked quite a backlash on social media platforms. Critics slammed President Biden for burdening taxpayers and engaging in electioneering tactics.

"Joe Biden won't condemn the Hamas campus mobs. But he will make you pay their student loans!" Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton posted on X.

"Columbia University: Property destruction/workers not allowed to leave or enter UCLA: violent protests/injuries reported Biden response: Another 6 billion for student loan debt. Nice work Joe," conservative commentator Chad Prather added.

"He’s using YOUR tax dollars to BUY VOTES. Infuriating," one X user fumed.

"Unconstitutional, and it’s blatant pandering for votes. This is election interference," another alleged.

"Absolutely insane," someone else wrote.

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