Key Senate Dem Flips on Biden’s Student Debt Relief

Pennsylvania Democrat Senator Bob Casey has reversed his long-held stance against federal student loan forgiveness, marking a significant shift as student debt relief becomes a key issue for the Democratic Party. Nearly ten years ago, Casey argued that the government had no “magic wand” to erase student debt, emphasizing that while steps could be taken to alleviate the burden, eliminating it entirely was unlikely, as reported by Fox News.

Back in 2014, during an interview with Penn State’s Daily Collegian, Casey noted that the average student debt in Pennsylvania hovered around $32,000, with many students carrying even higher balances. He acknowledged that federal intervention alone couldn’t wipe out this debt, stressing the need for colleges and universities to find better ways to assist students without accumulating such financial burdens. “Getting everybody down to zero is probably highly unlikely,” Casey said at the time.

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Casey, who has been a fixture in Pennsylvania politics since his first Senate victory in 2007 and comes from a well-known political family, is now facing a tough re-election campaign against Republican challenger Dave McCormick. This race is expected to be one of the most closely watched contests in the upcoming November elections.

Despite his previous skepticism, Casey has since aligned with President Biden’s efforts to reduce student debt. In 2022, he applauded Biden’s decision to cancel $10,000 of student debt for borrowers earning less than $125,000 annually, hailing it as a crucial step to provide financial relief. “This will give them the freedom to invest in their future, buy a home, or take a risk and start a business,” Casey said, adding that lowering the rising costs of college remains essential.

However, Biden’s broader student debt forgiveness plan, which aimed to forgive up to $20,000 per borrower, was blocked by the Supreme Court, which ruled that the President lacked the authority to enact such a measure without Congressional approval. This ruling was anticipated, as experts and even then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi had previously indicated that the President did not have the power to unilaterally forgive student debt.

As the legal battle over Biden’s plan unfolded, Casey and other Senate Democrats stood by the administration, opposing a Republican-led effort to overturn the debt relief initiative. This position has drawn sharp criticism from McCormick, who, during a recent appearance on Fox Business, slammed Casey as “weak” and too closely aligned with the liberal agenda of the Biden-Harris administration.

“The most important thing to remember here is that Kamala Harris is a San Francisco liberal with an agenda that’s out of step with Pennsylvania values, and Bob Casey supports that agenda 98% of the time,” McCormick said, highlighting issues like fracking bans, energy transitions, and gun control as examples of Casey’s disconnect from the state’s voters.