DeSantis bashes Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, claims it’s a ploy to get voters

Currently, the total outstanding federal student loan debt is $1.7 trillion. (Getty Images)

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Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness initiatives on Wednesday, dragging sociology degrees in his criticism of the federal plan to cancel debts for millions of students across the nation.

Instead of unilaterally canceling debt, universities should back the loans, DeSantis said during a bill signing event in St. Petersburg, in the Tampa Bay area.

“What he’s proposing illegally — he doesn’t have the authority to do it — is to basically say, if you’re a truck driver, you didn’t go to college, you don’t have student debt, sorry, you’re going have to pony up to pay the student loans of somebody who maybe got a degree in sociology or something and is not gainfully employed and can’t afford the loans. That is not fair,” said DeSantis, who has taken out loans in his college career.

The governor characterized Biden’s stance on student loan forgiveness as a tactic to get more voters during the press conference.

“I think he’s maneuvering to figure out ways to give himself an advantage in the election,” he said.

The governor’s comments come a day after Attorney General Ashley Moody and six other states filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Education’s SAVE Plan. The Biden administration launched the income-driven repayment plan in August. Through the plan, Biden has erased $1.2 billion in student loans for almost 153,000 borrowers, according to a February White House briefing.

Earlier this week, Biden announced a proposal to wipe away the full amount of student loan debt for four million borrowers and provide other relief for millions more, according to coverage from States Newsroom’s D.C. Bureau.

More than 2.7 million Floridians have amassed $103.3 billion in student loan debt, according to data last updated in September from the U.S. Department of Education.

Meanwhile, DeSantis lists as a liability $18,628.66 on his student loan servicers Navient/Sallie Mae, according to a 2022 financial disclosure form. It’s part of a “Full and Public Disclosure of Financial Interests,” which includes DeSantis’ net worth of $ 1,174,331.07 as of December 31, 2022.

Besides his government salary, DeSantis’ book —”The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival”— shows income of HarperCollins Publishers LLC, at $1,250,000.00.

During the press conference, DeSantis signed five bills aimed at cracking down on child predators through increased penalties for child exploitation offenses and a grant program for online sting operations.

DeSantis joked that the grant would allow Florida to have its own “To Catch a Predator,” the hidden camera TV show that set up sting operations for men wanting to sexually abuse minors.

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