Sanders Rebukes GOP For Hypocritical “Squawking” About Student Debt Relief

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) rebuked Republicans on Sunday for complaining about President Joe Biden’s Recently announced planYou can cancel up to $20,000 in student debt. This will provide relief for millions of borrowers.

Sanders criticised the GOP for focusing on the costs and benefits of student debt relief while ignoring the trillions of dollars that they, and other politicians, have given to corporations and the rich.

“I know it is shocking, George, to some Republicans that the government actually, on occasion, does something to benefit working families and low-income people,” Sanders told ABC’s George Stephanopolous.

“I don’t hear any of these Republicans squawking when we give massive tax breaks to billionaires, when we have an effective tax rate today such that the 1 percent have a lower effective tax rate than working people, when major corporations don’t pay a nickel in federal taxes — that’s okay,” he said. “But suddenly, when we do something for working people, it is a terrible idea.”

The senator also emphasized on Twitter that Republicans regularly advocate for “socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the rest.”

“I hear Republicans complaining about $20,000 in student debt forgiveness,” he wrote. “Funny, I didn’t hear those complaints when Trump declared bankruptcy 6 times & had $287 million in loans forgiven by big banks.”

In fact, it was Republicans who were responsible. Major tax breaksThe plan was a compromise between the wealthy and corporations, which cost the government approximately $2 trillion in 2017. This was even estimated by the Trump administration. Republicans also bore partial responsibility for blocking major reforms to the tax code that were proposed during last year’s reconciliation bill talks, which would have leveled the playing field between the working class and the 1 percent.

Biden AnnouncementLast week, a long-awaited plan was announced to cancel $10,000 of student debt for students with incomes below $125,000 per year. An additional $10,000 will be canceled for those who received Pell Grants.

Republicans didn’t wait long to begin complaining about the plan’s cost and that it will go to people who they deem undeserving. On his podcast last week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) denigrated “slacker barista[s]” who will benefit from the relief, claiming that they need to “get off the bong for a minute.” He also lamented that the student debt plan could drive up turnout for Democrats this fall.

Cruz was widely mockedFor his comments on social media with people like former Ohio state Sen. Nina TurnerThis is how it should be said baristas work harderCruz has worked more than any other person.

Sanders highlighted Cruz’s comment for its casual cruelty and posted a video on Twitter highlighting hisConversations with actual student debtors about how crushing their debt is.

“Senator Cruz, let me introduce to you a group of nurses and working class Americans who, in many cases, are working two jobs and over 40 hours a week just to pay off their student debt and pay for the basic necessities of life,” he wrote. “No, they are not slackers. They deserve relief.”

The White House has also responded to Republican criticisms. The White House last week reacted to Republican criticisms. pointed out on TwitterRepresentatives Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia and Matt Gaetz in Florida have complained that some student loan borrowers get only $10,000 of relief, while they got hundreds of thousand of dollars of loans forgiven by the Paycheck Protection Program.

Though Greene said that it’s “unfair” for people to see relief under the program, she had about $184,000 in PPP loans forgiven, the White House pointed out. Gaetz was also complaining about the perceived cost of the forgiveness program. However, she had $482,000 in PPP loans forgiven.