Silver State Times

President Joe Biden issued an executive order to forgive student debt, prompting criticisms from Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Republicans. Nevada's Democratic U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who is up for reelection in November, has historically advocated for student loan forgiveness, but now says she doesn't agree with the president's plan. 

Fox News reports that Biden said on Aug. 24 that he will cancel $10,000 of federal student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 annually, and will cancel an additional $10,000 for borrowers who attended college on Pell Grants. Biden also said he will extend pandemic-era payment freezes through December.

In July 2021, Cortez Masto was part of a group of Democrats urging the Education Department to expand debt relief for student borrowers as soon as possible, according to a press release on the senator's website.

However, after the news of Biden's new forgiveness plan, Cortez Masto, who is one of the most vulnerable Democratic senators up for reelection, told Axios: "I don't agree with today's executive action because it doesn't address the root problems that make college unaffordable."

Christian Watson, a spokesperson for Color Us United, a nonpartisan nonprofit aimed at eliminating discriminatory diversity, equity and inclusion policies, recently criticized the president in a video, which has already garnered 1.7 million views on Twitter.

“It's out. I discuss why I, a 22-year-old student loan debt holder, wants nothing to do with Biden's student loan debt forgiveness handle,” Watson wrote Aug. 24 in a Twitter post. 

"When I think about the big forgiveness package just given by the Biden administration, I think about a complete and utter violation of principles that this nation was built upon. My friends, duty is a very important aspect to society. Without duty, society doesn't actually exist," Watson said in the viral video. 

"I intend to respect my obligations as a loan holder," he said. "I also intend to, in the spirit of our Declaration and the spirit of America’s Constitutional ethos, recognize my duty where it is and take it where it belongs, not throw it to the wayside because it's convenient for me."

At a press briefing, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledged Biden does not have the power to forgive student debt.

“People think that the president of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness,” Pelosi said. “He does not. He can postpone, he can delay, but he does not have that power.” Pelosi said student loan forgiveness can only be executed through “an act of Congress.”

Biden campaigned on canceling student debt, according to Forbes.

“I’m going to eliminate your student debt if you come from a family [making less] than $125,000 and went to a public university,” Biden said on the 2020 campaign trail. “I’m going to make sure everyone gets $10,000 knocked off of their student debt in response to economic hardships caused by the pandemic.”

The Wall Street Journal editorial board says the tens of millions of Americans who will pay for the write-off are those who either didn’t go to college, have already repaid their debt, skimped and saved to pay for college, or chose to attend lower-cost schools to avoid a debt trap.

In response to numerous hate tweets that Watson received for his Twitter post, Color Us United President Kenny Xu sent an email newsletter highlighting the fact that the liberal commenters criticizing Watson did not counter any points he made, opting for personal attacks.

“And yet, you see that none of them can actually dispute Christian’s points. As this video continues to gain traction, we are excited to watch Christian go on national media later this week to defend fundamental American values,” Xu wrote. “Biden’s loan ‘forgiveness’ privileges one group of Americans over another. Particularly, debt holders over Americans who chose not to go to college or simply not to take out loans.”