Take Note, Joe: 52 Percent Support Blanket Student Loan Forgiveness

Take Note, Joe: 52 Percent Support Blanket Student Loan Forgiveness

Biden has indicated that he would support congressional action that cancels up to $10,000 per borrower, rejecting the pressure from his far-Left colleagues.

The majority of Americans are in support of a student loan forgiveness measure for all borrowers, according to a new poll released Thursday.

The survey, conducted by Go Banking Rates, found that 52 percent of poll respondents said they were in favor of blanket student loan forgiveness “for all borrowers.”

Other respondents believe that student loan forgiveness programs should only be implemented under certain conditions. Twelve percent of respondents said they think student loan forgiveness should be granted for those with low income and high debt, 11 percent said those in public service should have their loans canceled and four percent said they support temporary loan forgiveness through the coronavirus pandemic.

Roughly 20 percent of respondents don’t think that the federal government should implement any student loan forgiveness measure.

While the majorities of men and women who participated in the survey support blanket student loan forgiveness, respondents over the age of 65 weren’t as supportive of the measure. Thirty-nine percent of them support blanket student loan forgiveness “for all borrowers,” while 36 percent don’t think the federal government should cancel student debt.

The results of the poll come as the Biden administration announced this week that it will forgive about $500 million in federal student loans for 18,000 borrowers who attended ITT Technical Institute.

“Our action today will give thousands of borrowers a fresh start and the relief they deserve after ITT repeatedly lied to them,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “Today’s action is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued commitment to stand up for borrowers when their institutions take advantage of them. Many of these borrowers have waited a long time for relief, and we need to work swiftly to render decisions for those whose claims are still pending. This work also emphasizes the need for ongoing accountability so that institutions will never be able to commit this kind of widespread deception again.”

Despite the forgiveness measure, several Democrats in the House and Senate have pressured President Joe Biden to unilaterally cancel $50,000 per federal student loan borrower, as Americans owe more than $1.7 trillion in debt.

Biden has indicated that he would support congressional action that cancels up to $10,000 per borrower, rejecting the pressure from his Far-Left colleagues.

The poll was conducted from April 16 to May 18 and surveyed 3,633 people. It did not list a margin of error.

Rachel Bucchino is a reporter at the National Interest. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, and The Hill.

Image: Reuters.