On November 10, 2022, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Pittman ruled President Joe Biden’s Student Debt Forgiveness unconstitutional, as it did not have congressional approval. It emphasizes the irony of Gen Z, incentivized by student debt forgiveness, rushing to the polls in droves to prevent the red wave, only for their main motivator to be struck down two days later. Biden’s Student Debt Forgiveness is now being fought in the U.S. Supreme Court.
On social media, many conservatives praised the legal action stating that Democrats promised a lie they knew they could not fulfill and telling the borrowers that it is, and always has been, their own responsibility for the loans. Instead of using this as an opportunity to compete against Democrats, many conservatives would rather lecture about moral responsibility without any feasible solution. It also hurts fellow conservatives as they may regard themselves as opponents of welfare and handouts occurring in America, but it is acceptable towards countries such as Ukraine with billions of dollars given to them since the start of their war against Russia, which America should have the obligation not to intervene. When neoconservatives prolonged the war in Afghanistan, it cost nearly nine trillion dollars and hundreds of American troops wounded and killed, all for a conflict that was deemed unnecessary and should have been halted long ago. When chair of the Republican Study Jim Banks released a tweet about student loan forgiveness undermining military recruitment, he did more harm than good.
Considering the most recent conflicts that people have protested and been vocal against, especially during election season, there are strong incentives for independents and democrats to vote against Republicans. Neoconservative and Republican eagerness to spend millions on unnecessary conflicts and be vocal opponents of “welfare” for students in general not only makes the Republican Party seem selfish, hypocritical and evil, but also gives progressive Democrats fuel for their argument regarding student debt forgiveness.
However, Republicans have prime opportunities to compete with progressive Democrats on the matter by offering sensible solutions that are not unconstitutional nor would hurt the pockets of hardworking taxpayers.
One option would be an end to subsidizing student loans; records from the Department of Education have shown that in 2011 when it distributed roughly $157 billion in student aid, costs rose for in-state students by five percent and over eight percent for out-of-state students. As college aid does not directly cause the rise of tuition to increase, it is regarded as a considerable factor. Because of this, tax payers are not receiving a sufficient return for their money as the six year graduation rate in 2018 was nearly 59 percent. Meaning taxpayers are subsidizing a high form of education while performance of colleges and universities has not risen.
Another option would be to target the endowment funds of colleges. In August of 2022, Florida Senator Rick Scott proposed the Changing Our Learning, Loans, Endowments, and Graduation Expectations (COLLEGE) Act. Under this legislation, it would require colleges and universities with endowments worth over $10 billion or more to cover 75% of students’ tuition costs. Colleges between $5-10 billion would have to cover 50% of students’ tuition costs and those between $1-5 billion would have to cover 25% of students’ tuition. The legislation would also cover the costs of the students regardless of their economic and financial brackets. This would hold colleges and universities accountable for their faulty policies that have enabled millions of Americans to accrue billions in student debt.
Conservatives and republicans could also start to promote a career in a trade to those graduating highschool. However, some conservatives will push the notion that many successful people, such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, were college dropouts and succeeded without college degrees; but this is not a reliable plan for life. Additionally, colleges devoid of conservative voices to counter progressive influence will only leave these highly regarded institutions in the hands of our political and cultural enemies. Conservatives should encourage attending college to some degree, but advise our youth not to accrue excessive debt and flounder around while trying to determine what they’d like to do in the long term. Many career paths require a college degree, and without it, many people would be stuck in employment with meager pay. Trades and college degrees can be equally viable, so it is wise not to entirely disregard one or the other.
If conservatives and Republicans fight for the issues pertaining to student debt forgiveness, they will truly prove themselves to be the party that desires to make America the land of opportunity. Conservatives can use the argument that the debt trap enabled by the federal government and the universities diminishes the entrepreneurial spirit within many of their students, and it dissuades Americans from pursuing a family because of the additional costs that would be piled on top of their already oppressive debt.
Conservatives can win the issue of student debt if they are wise to address it properly, provide feasible solutions, and not default to emotional or moral arguments that do not necessarily win over independent voters and students who are most directly invested in a solution.
