‘That’s Gonna Hurt Them’: Bernie Sanders Predicts Ted Cruz’s Plan to Reinstate Student Loan Debt Will Backfire
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) criticized an effort by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to undo President Joe Biden’s cancelation of up to $20,000 in student debt for about 40 million people.
In August, Biden announced he’s forgiving $10,000 in government debt for every borrower making less than $125,000 a year. Borrowers with Pell Grants will have up to $20,000 canceled.
Appearing on Tuesday’s All In with Chris Hayes, Sanders lauded the move and said he would have gone further. The MSNBC host asked the senator what the decision means practically and politically.
“You know, I have the radical idea that good policy is good politics,” Sanders responded. “And it is good policy to cancel student debt in this country. I cannot tell you, Chris, how many young and middle-aged people I have talked to who have hesitated having children, can’t afford to buy a house, whose lives are in economic trouble because they’re paying off these huge student debts.”
He added, “I’m not gonna tell you it’s 100 percent popular, but it is what the people want. And you know what? If you do what the people want and not what the corporate world wants, or billionaire campaign contributors want, you win elections.”
Hayes noted Cruz and other Republicans are exploring ways to block debt forgiveness in court. At present, they are currently grappling with the issue of who or what would have standing to sue.
“Ted Cruz has been plotting with folks to try to challenge it in court,” Hayes noted. “Republican legal challenges are expected to start once the applications start rolling out. Legal experts say it’s possible the administration’s plan could be frozen by a federal judge. What do you think about this plot to try to find someone that has standing to block this in court?”
Sanders said the idea is a political loser.
“I think it sounds to me very much what happened with the Supreme Court ruling on abortion,” he replied. “It turns out that the overwhelming majority of the American people think it is women who have the right to control their own lives, not the Republican Party. Strong majority of the American people think we should cancel student debt. And if Senator Cruz and others want to challenge that, I think that’s gonna hurt them politically. It’s the wrong thing to do and I think it hurts them politically.”
Watch above via MSNBC.
