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Biden woos Wisconsin voters with new student loan relief plan

President Joe Biden rallied voters in Wisconsin as he promoted a new student loan relief plan that would ease debt for more than 30 million borrowers. The new plan is scaled down after the Supreme Court struck down his initial plan last year.

First Look

President聽Joe Biden, on April 8, said that more than 30 million borrowers would see 鈥渓ife-changing鈥� relief from his聽new plan to ease their student loan debt burdens, a fresh attempt by the Democratic president to follow through on a campaign pledge that could buoy his standing with younger voters.

He detailed the initiative, which has been in the works for months, during a trip to Wisconsin, one of a handful of battleground states that could decide the outcome of Mr. Biden鈥檚 likely November rematch with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Mr. Biden said he wanted to 鈥済ive everybody a fair shot鈥� and the 鈥渇reedom to chase their dreams鈥� as he lamented the rising cost of higher education.

鈥淓ven when they work hard and pay their student loans, their debt increases and not diminishes,鈥� he said. 鈥淭oo many people feel the strain and stress, wondering if they can get married, have their first child, start a family, because even if they get by, they still have this crushing, crushing debt.鈥�

Mr. Biden鈥檚 trip, which included a stop at a Chicago fundraiser on the way back to Washington, comes a week after聽primary voting in Wisconsin聽highlighted political weaknesses for him as he prepares for the general election.

More than 48,000 Democratic voters chose 鈥渦ninstructed鈥� instead of Mr. Biden, more than double his narrow margin of victory in the state in 2020.

Mr. Trump also saw a significant number of defections during the state鈥檚 primary, with nearly 119,000 Republicans voting for someone other than him.

But Mr. Biden鈥檚 results, which echoed similar protest votes in states like Michigan and Minnesota, have rattled Democrats who are eager to聽solidify the coalition聽that catapulted him into the White House in the first place.

A critical fracture has been the Israel-Hamas war. Younger voters are more likely to disapprove of Mr. Biden鈥檚 enduring support for Israel鈥檚 military operation in Gaza, which has caused heavy casualties among Palestinian civilians.

Concerns about the war have spread throughout the Madison area, said Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan, who represents the city. Mr. Pocan said he was 鈥渟urprised to see the intensity on the issue鈥� from all ages of voters, and he wanted Mr. Biden to be aware.

鈥淚 just want to make sure he knows that if we鈥檙e going to have a problem, that could be the problem in Wisconsin,鈥� Mr. Pocan said.

Some young voters have been impatient with Mr. Biden鈥檚 attempts to wipe away student loan debt. The聽Supreme Court last year foiled聽his first attempt to forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in loans, a decision that Mr. Biden called a 鈥渕istake.鈥�

Since then, the White House has pursued debt relief through other targeted initiatives, including those for public service workers and low-income borrowers. Administration officials said they have canceled $144 billion in student loans for almost 4 million Americans.

At the same time, the Department of Education has been working on a more expansive plan to replace Mr. Biden鈥檚 original effort. The April 8 announcement was an opportunity to energize young voters whose support Mr. Biden will need to defeat Mr. Trump in November.

Vice President Kamala Harris went to Pennsylvania, another battleground state, on April 8 to promote debt relief in a meeting with city and school employees in Philadelphia.

鈥淵ou shouldn鈥檛 have to make a decision whether you serve or be able to pay your bills,鈥� she said.

Republicans said Mr. Biden鈥檚 plan shifts the financial burden of college tuition onto taxpayers who didn鈥檛 take out loans to attend school, and Kris Kobach, the Republican attorney general in Kansas, accused him of trying to twist the law 鈥渂eyond recognition.鈥�

The Job Creators Network, a conservative advocacy group that challenged Mr. Biden鈥檚 original plan, is considering legal action as well. The organization is backed by Bernie Marcus, a Republican donor who is also hosting a fundraiser for Mr. Trump in Atlanta on April 10. Mr. Trump described Mr. Biden鈥檚 debt relief initiative as an 鈥渆lection-enhancing money grab鈥� two years ago.

Mr. Biden鈥檚 new plan would expand federal student loan relief to five new categories of borrowers through the Higher Education Act, which administration officials believe puts it on a stronger legal footing than the sweeping proposal that was killed by a 6-3 court majority last year.

The plan is smaller and more targeted than Mr. Biden鈥檚 original plan, which would have canceled up to $20,000 in loans for more than 40 million borrowers. The new plan would cancel some or all federal student loans for more than 30 million Americans, the White House said. The Education Department plans to issue a formal proposal in the coming months, with plans to start implementing parts of the plan as early as this fall.

The plan鈥檚 widest-reaching benefit would cancel up to $20,000 in interest for borrowers who have seen their balance grow beyond its original amount due to what Mr. Biden described as 鈥渞unaway鈥� interest. That part of the plan would forgive at least some unpaid interest for an estimated 25 million borrowers, with 23 million getting all their interest erased, according to the White House.

An additional 2 million borrowers would automatically have their loans canceled because they鈥檙e eligible but have not applied for other forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Borrowers who have been repaying their undergraduate student loans for at least 20 years would be eligible to have any remaining debt canceled, along with those repaying graduate school loans for 25 years or more.

The plan would forgive debt for those who were in college programs deemed to have 鈥渓ow financial value.鈥� It鈥檚 meant to help those who were in programs that ended up becoming ineligible to receive federal student aid or programs found to have cheated students.

A final category would cancel debt for borrowers facing financial hardship.聽

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.