Most middle to lower class students in the United States take out student loans to attend college.
But the interest on those loans can leave graduates drowning in debt for decades.
Now Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders joins the chorus of people calling for relief.
Nearly 45 million Americans owe $1.56 trillion in student loan debt.The next installment of our roundtable series w… https://t.co/b6GmqkDGeL— Rep. Sharice Davids (@Rep. Sharice Davids) 1561408005.0
Sanders teamed with Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Pramila Jayapal of Washington to sponsor a bill to forgive student debt and make public universities free.
The bill is called "The College For All Act."
Corporations have repeatedly gotten bailouts and tax breaks. We need a bailout for the people — that’s why I just… https://t.co/ptps8Yok1J— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar) 1561394725.0
Education is a right for all, not a privilege for the wealthy. Join me, @SenSanders and @Ilhan as we introduce a bo… https://t.co/aNupJ82Bwg— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1561388757.0
We depend on this next generation to be our next innovators and creators - and we’re draining the creativity and po… https://t.co/SPsRlmlVSk— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1561389327.0
Let’s free the generations to come. Let’s invest in our future. Let’s be bold and create real opportunity for ALL of us. #CollegeForAll— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@Rep. Pramila Jayapal) 1561389533.0
That feeling when you just introduced bold new proposals to #CancelStudentDebt and pass #CollegeForAll! cc:… https://t.co/MWf7AnWO2X— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Rep. Ilhan Omar) 1561396022.0
Thank you to @RepJayapal and @Ilhan for your bold leadership as co-sponsors of college for all and debt cancellatio… https://t.co/GaLfsLKp9M— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1561400589.0
So how is this all being paid for? A .5 percent tax on Wall Street speculation, or 50 cents on every $100 worth of… https://t.co/UfxXgjKJUG— Gary Grumbach (@Gary Grumbach) 1561378816.0
Wall Street speculators nearly destroyed the economy a decade ago, and the American people bailed them out. Now it… https://t.co/bvHneLdqnw— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1561391626.0
But some claimed it was unfair to everyone who paid off their student loans.
If leftistss want to forgive student debt shouldn’t they also propose giving back the money to everyone who worked… https://t.co/FqVK3LhvMd— newtgingrich (@newtgingrich) 1561431845.0
I can’t emphasize this enough: If Elizabeth Warren gets her way and gives everyone free college and wipes their st… https://t.co/zbfHivPas2— Caleb Hull (@Caleb Hull) 1561128199.0
I just want to remind everyone tweeting about #CancelMyDebt that if the government wipes everyone's student loans a… https://t.co/VK72mHJrJ5— Caleb Hull (@Caleb Hull) 1558544132.0
If you worked hard, got a job, and paid off your student loans, Bernie has bad news for you,... sucker.… https://t.co/IN6uamH1it— Herman Cain (@Herman Cain) 1561388496.0
But not everyone espoused the misery loves company philosophy.
My student loans are paid off. I know many people who are crushed by theirs. I want to see them get the relief they… https://t.co/z2rF7RHX4J— Mike Futter (@Mike Futter) 1561400700.0
RT if you paid off your student debt and are perfectly fine with everyone else’s being canceled— Ken Klippenstein (@Ken Klippenstein) 1561348477.0
As I've said, it took forever, but eventually I paid off my student loans. That doesn't in any way make me think… https://t.co/kQHzWYeBI0— John Iadarola (@John Iadarola) 1561394337.0
@kenklippenstein I spent years in the military so that I wouldn't be crushed by student debt. If these socialist do… https://t.co/SUdzljIe5I— John Brown stan account (@John Brown stan account) 1561352028.0
If your reason for not supporting an effort to cancel student loan debt is because you’ve already paid off yours, c… https://t.co/2ufjeK973E— Francis Maxwell (@Francis Maxwell) 1561393080.0
@kenklippenstein I paid off my debts (BA, MA, PhD) at 53 and would be thrilled to think that younger adults would n… https://t.co/QPslgBDtWx— Diana Butler Bass (@Diana Butler Bass) 1561351331.0
@CalebJHull It’s tiresome watching white men whine about “fairness” while fighting to deprive women of bodily auton… https://t.co/FNqh6LcKVR— Melisia (@Melisia) 1561183917.0
[campaign ad] I’m very much against student loan debt forgiveness. Anything bad that happened to me should happen t… https://t.co/2tVH4xVcpm— DL (@DL) 1561437199.0
@kenklippenstein Haven't paid mine off but I'd be ok if someone who was more in need of it had theirs paid off inst… https://t.co/oVaB37WeYl— Andrew Pinckney (@Andrew Pinckney) 1561348777.0
@MikeDrucker/Twitter
@Radlein @MikeDrucker @bluegal Baby boomers are in for a real shock when they all try to sell their suburban homes… https://t.co/JdQSCAvOgU— Kelley Robinett (@Kelley Robinett) 1561408986.0
People also drew parallels for those opposed to the idea of student debt forgiveness.
@JimLivio/Twitter
@kenklippenstein I died in a car crash in 1956 and I’m furious air bags were invented— personified millenial anxiety (@personified millenial anxiety) 1561351857.0
@soylentcree @kenklippenstein I think the argument is more akin to "I SURVIVED a car crash in 1956 and I'm furious… https://t.co/TLFaKEqd9g— 𝔐𝔵. ℭ𝔥𝔢𝔢𝔰𝔢 (@𝔐𝔵. ℭ𝔥𝔢𝔢𝔰𝔢) 1561392232.0
For many it came back to the tax dollars used in the past to bail out banks and Wall Street, moves that did little to help most Americans.
@JStein_WaPo @BernieSanders @IlhanMN @RepJayapal #Bernie's plan to #CancelStudentDebt makes good economic sense as… https://t.co/Uc6VdDRyDU— TrekkerTeach (@TrekkerTeach) 1561349195.0
While the bill has a good chance of passing in the House, it faces an uphill battle in the Senate where the first fight will be to be heard. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has blocked consideration of all legislation sent forward by the House of Representatives.