In one of "Squad" member Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's latest speeches given in the House, she brought up her own student loan debt and demanded that this debt be cancelled for all Americans.
"I'm 32-years-old now. I have over $17,000 in student loan debt. And I didn't go to graduate school because I knew that getting another degree would drown me in debt that I would never be able to surpass. This is an acceptable," the progressive Democrat lawmaker said on the House floor last week.
According to a Foundation for Economic Education piece written by Brad Polumbo, Ocasio-Cortez makes $174,000 per year as a member of Congress.
Polumbo broke down what Ocasio-Cortez's monthly payments would look like, stating that with that amount of student loan debt, it would most likely be around $100 to $200 per month as an estimate.
"[B]ut $100-$200/month is a reasonable estimate given that the average graduate owes $28,400 total, which equates to a $297 monthly payment," wrote Polumbo.
"And so that we can stop writing these ridiculous articles that young people are killing diamond rings and they're not buying houses and they're killing this industry or that that we're not having children. It's because we're being crushed by immoral debt. No person should have to go into debt, crushing debt in order to get an education. It's wrong. It's backwards, and it doesn't help us as a country," said Ocasio-Cortez.
"I'm greatly looking forward to the Biden administration, canceling student loan debt, and no longer advancing the false narratives that student loan debt is for the privileged," she added.
Polumbo noted that a cancellation of student debt wouldn't mean the debt dissappears, rather the taxpayers would have to pay off the approximate $1.73 trillion student loan debt facing American borrowers.
"In the congresswoman's remarks, she issued yet another factually challenged and morally distorted plea for 'student debt cancellation,' a progressive euphemism for having taxpayers pay off approximately $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. (The loans aren't 'canceled' magically but paid off by taxpayers. Congress can't just make debts go away.)" wrote Polumbo.
On Twitter, Polumbo summed it up by simply stating, "pay your own darn bills."
“I’m 32 years old now,” the congresswoman said. “I have over $17,000 in student loan debt... this is unacceptable.”
— Brad Polumbo ???? ???? (@brad_polumbo) December 8, 2021
Um, @AOC, you earn $175/year courtesy of taxpayers.
?Pay ? your ? own ? darn ? bills ?https://t.co/JRhTmt1Isa
Cancellation of student loan debt has been pushed by a number of Democratic lawmakers, including President Joe Biden during his presidential campaign.
Additionally, we should forgive a minimum of $10,000/person of federal student loans, as proposed by Senator Warren and colleagues. Young people and other student debt holders bore the brunt of the last crisis. It shouldn't happen again.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 22, 2020
Biden pushed for the cancellation of $10,000 student loan debt per person, a progressive move that has yet to be actualized.
During the same day Ocasio-Cortez issued her speech, fellow Representative Rashida Tlaib delivered a similar story of student loan debt she has yet to pay.
"I worked full time, Monday through Friday, and took weekend classes to get my law degree. And still, close to $200,000 in debt. And I still owe over $70,000 and most of it was interest," Tlaib said on the House floor.
Rep. @RashidaTlaib: "I worked full time, Monday through Friday, and took weekend classes to get my law degree. And still, close to $200,000 in debt. And I still owe over $70,000 and most of it was interest." pic.twitter.com/STGxo70JlS
— The Hill (@thehill) December 5, 2021
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