On Wednesday, President Biden vetoed the bill that aimed to eliminate his $400 billion student loan relief plan and asserted that he would not “back down” from his commitment to forgiving college debt for millions of Americans.
In a video posted on Twitter, Biden explained, “Folks, Republicans in Congress led an effort to pass a bill blocking my administration’s plan to provide up to $10,000 in student debt relief and up to $20,000 for borrowers who received a Pell Grant.
Nearly 90% of those relief dollars go to people earning less than $75,000 a year.”
Biden emphasized his determination, stating, “I’m not going to back down on my efforts to help tens of millions of working and middle-class families. That’s why I’m going to veto this bill.”
Despite his criticism of Republicans, Biden did not address the two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana, who joined all Republicans in voting to advance the bill last week.
Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona also voted in favor, with the final vote tally being 52-46 in the Senate.
Similarly, Biden did not mention Representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, who voted with Republicans in the House of Representatives. The final vote in the House was 218-203.
The president also noted that some members who supported the bill had “personally received loans to keep their small business afloat during the pandemic” and had endorsed “huge tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy.”
He criticized their stance, saying, “But when it comes to hardworking Americans trying to get ahead, dealing with student debt relief, that’s where they drew the line. I think it’s wrong.”
Biden asserted, “Let me make something really clear, I’m never going to apologize for helping working and middle-class Americans as they recover from this pandemic. Never,” before signing the veto.
Biden’s veto of the bill is his fifth since taking office.
Last year, Biden announced a plan to cancel up to $10,000 in student loans for individuals earning less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for those who received Pell Grants.
The program was anticipated to cost the government more than $400 billion in lost debt repayment but was put on hold following a court-block.
The bill approved by both the House and Senate was enacted under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to reject an executive branch policy if both chambers pass a disapproval resolution.
Given the partisan nature of the votes, it is unlikely that Congress will achieve the two-thirds majority needed in each chamber to override Biden’s veto.
