By Casey Harper (The Center Square)
The Biden administration is again deferring repayment of student loans until President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness executive action makes its way through the courts, but a new analysis found that decision will cost taxpayers billions of dollars in unpaid interest.
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The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released the analysis, which said Biden’s changing the repayment restart date from Dec. 31 until 60 days after litigation is decided will cost tens of billions of dollars in lost interest collection.
“We estimate extending the pause for 60 days beyond June 30, 2023 would cost $40 billion – the equivalent of 18 months of the Pell Grant program,” the group said. “That would bring the total cost of the student debt pause to $195 billion; continuing to extend the pause through the end of 2024 would increase the total cost of the pause to $275 billion. Every month the pause is extended costs the federal government $5 billion, due mainly to lost interest collection.”
Related: President Trump Just Automatically Cancelled Student Debt For Disabled Veterans
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Biden said in a video posted to Twitter last week that “it isn’t fair to ask tens of millions of borrowers eligible for relief to resume their student debt payments while the courts consider the lawsuit.”
“I’m confident that our student debt relief plan is legal,” Biden said. “But it’s on hold because Republican officials want to block it.”
Critics have said the student loan forgiveness significantly increases the deficit and helps more affluent Americans significantly more at the expense of less educated, poorer Americans.
“With inflation at a 40-year high and unemployment near historic lows, there is absolutely no justification for extending the student debt pause yet again. The pause was put in place as an emergency measure early in the pandemic. As the President has repeatedly pointed out, the pandemic recession is long over,” Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget President Maya MacGuineas said.
“Whether or not the courts allow the Administration to unilaterally cancel $10,000 to $20,000 per person of student debt should have no bearing on whether we should collect the debt that is currently owed,” she added. “Why are we continuing to cancel billions of dollars of interest for wealthy doctors and lawyers?”
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Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
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I did not go to college (could not afford it…joined the USMC instead). The wife and I paid off her loans. Why can’t these folks pay off theirs?! The way the loan application required?
This is the biggest pile I have ever read about student loans costing taxpayers. First, student loan interest goes directly into the coffers of the loan servicer, ie a bank. Second, the banks have already benefitted from the loan to tune of at least 8 % interest. Finally, since the student loan program has had no “watch dog” universities and colleges have increased their cost of attendance with abandonment. Looking at the program as a whole, I would say that the fat cats have grown fatter by riding the backs of college students, who think they are benefitting from the system. Problem is the system is broken! Give the students a break will not be as
Bad as the fiscal policy we are now following.
Almost everything this horrid president has done is illegal or against the established law. I PRAY for his removal and all of his cockroach accomplices.
Biden has made a mess of everything. He follows orders from his big donors & China.
When is this demented old bone head going to understand that he IS NOT the king and does not own the country. My (accurate) guess would be never! Biden (His Majesty) needs to be replaced with someone more able and more confident to lead this nation… Charlie Brown?
I can’t even afford to buy groceries right now, so why should I have to pay for someone student’s loan? I couldn’t afford college, even with working. My kids couldn’t go to college. Again, why should we have to pay for someone else’s tution bill?
Because they have car payments, jet payments, yacht payments, staff payrolls, and mansion payments to make (yeah, it gets really hard when you get the third one!)