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Indiana Republican Representative Jim Banks was criticized after he complained about Democratic President Joe Biden's plan to forgive some student loan debt, saying the move "undermines" the military's efforts to recruit young people who are looking for a way to pay for their college education.
Banks joined a chorus of Republicans who have also criticized the proposal, arguing student loan forgiveness would only shift billions of dollars of debt to taxpayers and deal a blow to the economy, a claim that runs counter to data from economists who've noted student debt cancellations would only boost Americans' purchasing power.
Writing on Twitter, Banks declared forgiving student loan debt effectively "undermines one of our military’s greatest recruitment tools at a time of dangerously low enlistments."
\u201cStudent loan forgiveness undermines one of our military\u2019s greatest recruitment tools at a time of dangerously low enlistments.\u201d— Jim Banks (@Jim Banks) 1661440498
The Pentagon spends billions of dollars per year recruiting poor teenagers—predominantly people of color—into military service, breathing life into what's become known as "the poverty draft," which forces individuals from poorer families to enlist in the military to avoid economic hardship.
While there has been no military draft in the United States since 1973, for decades "during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means," according to the Selective Service System (SSS).
Banks' tweet angered people who pointed out the Republican Party's members are essentially telling on themselves when they insist poor people should be threatened with mountains of debt unless they feed themselves to the war machine.
\u201cCongressman admits the military needs higher education to be unaffordable so as to help lure underprivileged Americans into enlistment.\u201d— The Hoarse Whisperer (@The Hoarse Whisperer) 1661514470
\u201cI think they wanted you to keep this a secret, Jim. \ud83d\ude2c\u201d— THIQUE CHURCH GIRL. (@THIQUE CHURCH GIRL.) 1661467754
\u201cThere's an understanding on Capitol Hill that the poverty draft is real and that it is a good thing.\nThere is also an understanding on Capitol Hill that you're not supposed to come right out and SAY so.\u201d— Caitlin Johnstone (@Caitlin Johnstone) 1661469601
\u201cSaying the ugly part aloud.\u201d— David Simon (@David Simon) 1661470027
\u201c\u201cIf people aren\u2019t too poor for college who is gonna die in our wars???\u201d\u201d— Akilah Hughes (@Akilah Hughes) 1661471052
\u201cI don\u2019t think you understand what you just admitted to.\u201d— Mightykeef (@Mightykeef) 1661471824
\u201cLiterally tweeted out 'if college is affordable, how will we persuade the poors to go die in our wars' oh my God\u201d— Barred and Boujee (@Barred and Boujee) 1661475934
\u201cYo he just said \u201cif we make education easier to access for poor/middle class children, who else we gonna get to fight and die in these wars??\u201d LMAOOOOOO\n\nKeep exposing yourselves\u201d— James Alexander\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffe\u200d\ud83d\udcbb (@James Alexander\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffe\u200d\ud83d\udcbb) 1661479170
\u201cThis is NOT satire. Republican Representative Jim Banks is arguing that making college affordable\u2014by addressing student debt\u2014could make it harder to lure impoverished young people into the military.\u201d— John Nichols (@John Nichols) 1661481286
\u201cThis is them admitting the military preys on children (often high schoolers) in low-income communities and that is one of the military\u2019s best \u201crecruitment tools.\u201d Everything about this country and its fundamentals is racist and y\u2019all really do not believe us when we tell you.\u201d— J. Spencer (he) (@J. Spencer (he)) 1661489341
Biden's decision has been hailed for helping borrowers with lower credit scores and opening up the opportunity for millions of people to catch up on rent and utility bills as well as save money that would have otherwise gone to their student loans.
The plan forgives $10,000 - $20,000 for individuals making less than $125,000, or couples making less than $250,000. According to the White House, the overwhelming majority of student loan relief will benefit those earning less than $75,000 a year, and no one in the top five percent of wage earners will benefit from the plan.
\u201cThis is worth taking a look at:\u201d— Bharat Ramamurti (@Bharat Ramamurti) 1661374623
In his remarks while announcing the decision, Biden said canceling some debt would allow many people to "finally crawl out from under that mountain of debt to get on top of their rent and utilities, to finally think about buying a home or starting a family or starting a business."