When just about half of all the governors in the nation sign a letter to the president, it’s probably significant. Twenty-two GOP governors did just that.
In a letter to President Joe Biden, these leaders challenged him to walk back his student loan forgiveness plan.
The letter, dated this past Monday, said that the governors “fundamentally oppose” the president’s agenda to force the American taxpayer into paying off the debt of an elite few.
Two of the governors were Republicans Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. They said that Biden’s plan is going to harm low-income families. The letter said, “hourly workers will pay off the master’s and doctorate degrees of high salaried lawyers, doctors, and professors. … Simply put, your plan rewards the rich and punishes the poor.”
Ironically, the White House did not defend its position against the logic in the letter. Instead, they focused on GOP support of significant tax cuts for the wealthy that took place under President Donald Trump, and several other GOP political leaders. They also pointed to those who benefitted from the federal Paycheck Protection Program and the loans that were forgiven during the COVID-19 pandemic.
White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan wrote in an email that was sent to USA TODAY this week, “These same Republican governors didn’t seem to object when their Republican colleagues in Congress passed a $2 trillion tax giveaway for the rich or had hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own small business loans forgiven.”
Hasan also wrote that GOP elected officials are working to keep middle-class Americans in major debt, but the president was committed to delivering relief to the borrowers who were in the most need.
Biden said at the end of August that education was the “ticket” to a better life, but now that “ticket” is too expensive for many Americans. He said the burden was now so heavy that even when you have a college degree you might not have access to the middle-class life that a college degree once provided.
Twenty-two governors disagree and are pleading with President Biden to change his mind on loan forgiveness, but the chances of him relenting on this campaign promise are slim to none. Let’s hope that the voters remember this debacle when it comes time to place their ballots in November.
Here’s a list of the 22 Republican governors who signed the letter calling on Biden to withdraw his student loan forgiveness plan:
- Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.
- Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
- Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.
- Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
- Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
- Idaho Gov. Brad Little.
- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
- Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.
- Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte.
- Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts.
- New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
- Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.
- South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.
- South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.
- Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon.
