As expected, the hosts of Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” were none too pleased with Joe Biden’s student loan debt relief plan that was announced on Wednesday. According to the hosts, it’s just a means for the president to buy votes, and it flies in the face of personal financial choices.
Though some details on qualifying for Biden’s plan remain unclear, the core of the plan is this: the federal government will forgive up to $20,000 of student loan debt for Pell Grant recipients, and up to $10,000 for others who qualify but didn’t receive those grants, for borrowers making under $125,000 a year. Many conservatives and Republicans were outraged by the plan, calling it socialism and a “socialist” scheme. “slap in the face”For those who have paid off their student loans.
On “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning, the hosts predictably fell into that camp, with Steve Doocy suggesting that Biden’s plan is actually just a form of bribery, considering how close midterm elections are at this point, as well as the start of his own bid for re-election.
“Is Joe Biden buying votes for $10,000 vote?”He stated. “Keep in mind, this is one of those things that has been on his checklist. He’s gotta motivate his base, and what they’re doing is they’re gonna cancel student debt for 40 million Americans.”
Of course, Biden’s plan will not completely cancel out student loan debt, as laid out above.
Doocy and his cohosts called it the plan “absolutely outrageous,”It reiterated the common arguments of those against it. They argued that no one is ever forced into attending expensive colleges and taking on student loan debt. “hacks off”The people who chose to not do it, and those in good enough financial standing to be able pay the loans off.
“That is called a financial decision that we make every single day,”Brian Kilmeade stated. “You don’t have an obligation to go to a $70,000 school. If you are lucky enough and your parents can afford it, if you choose to do it, these are all your personal decisions. It’s not the president’s decision to say it’s unfair to do this.”
Kilmeade also suggested that Biden should’ve instead offered auto loan forgiveness, or mortgage forgiveness, considering how people have struggled with those payments in the pandemic.