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Public Opinion/Topics Paper

Student Debt Relief

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In the United States, pursuing higher education has become a near-universal path for

individuals and is often considered a prerequisite for securing well-paying jobs. However, this

pursuit comes at a cost, with skyrocketing tuition fees serving to compensate for diminishing

state funding to educational institutions. Consequently, many graduates find themselves

burdened by significant student debt, grappling with its repayment for a length that often

exceeds their time spent in school. Despite the admirable intentions of President Joe Biden to

alleviate this issue, his efforts have encountered formidable opposition from Republicans and,

ultimately, faced rejection from the predominantly conservative Supreme Court during the

summer. Nevertheless, the Biden Administration recently made a breakthrough by granting

debt relief to an additional 125,000 student loan borrowers, totaling a substantial $9 billion in

forgiveness (Montague, 2023). In this discussion, I will illustrate how the matter of student

debt and its forgiveness has evolved into a political and quasi-racial concern within the realm

of higher education.

Republicans and Democrats have been arguing over higher education funding since

World War II. After the war, left-wing-dominated countries focused on creating lower tuition

rates while right-wing-dominated countries prioritized maintaining their lifestyles

(Garritzmann, 2017). The demand for higher education has been on an incline since 1970

while the average financial support from the state government has remained below pre-

recession levels (Ortega, 2020). As a result of a decline in state funding, many public

institutions have relied on tuition to fill the gap (Cantwell & Taylor, 2020). This higher tuition

has left millions of Americans writhing with debt. Despite research defending higher education,

Cantwell (2021) found that Americans who identify as “right” or Republican see higher

education as a leftist activity and only 40 percent believe that higher education has a positive
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effect on the country. This perspective may explain why “Republicans have blasted Biden's

policies as wasteful spending and questioned whether he is exceeding his authority - making an

argument similar to the one used by opponents of the debt forgiveness plan struck down by the

Supreme Court.” (Douglas-Gabriel, 2023). In response to these criticisms and denial of support,

President Biden has defended his stance, “The money was literally about to go out the door, but

Republican elected officials and special interests stepped up and sued us,'' he said. ''The Supreme

Court sided with them, snatching from the hands of millions of Americans thousands of dollars

in student debt relief that was about to change their lives.'’ (Carvajal & Lobosco, 2023). Many

of the individuals whose lives were poised to be positively affected by this relief were from

minority communities.

The Republican party is predominantly composed of individuals who are White,

Christian, and male (Cantwell & Taylor, 2020). As mentioned earlier, Republicans have

expressed a generally unfavorable view of higher education. Notably, it has been observed that

"Republicans prioritize tuition-free two-year colleges over free four-year colleges when

considering state spending options" (Imlay, 2021, p. 1002). However, when asked about their

personal experiences with higher education, many Republicans hold their own educational

experiences in high regard and exhibit a desire for increased funding for their local colleges and

universities (Cantwell & Taylor, 2020). It raises the question of why they support funding for

two-year institutions while not extending the same support to the four-year universities they

attended, the answer may be in tuition costs. The growing number of applicants combined with a

shrinking availability of "good value" seats at prestigious universities affects even families

within the Republican party (Cantwell & Taylor, 2020). By maintaining high tuition costs due to

inadequate funding, they inadvertently create barriers for lower-income citizens to access the
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same educational opportunities enjoyed by the typical Republican voter. President Joe Biden

consistently underscores the divide regarding student debt relief, making it clear who opposes it

and who stands to benefit, stating, "This is in contrast to House Republicans who previously

blocked the debt relief plan, nearly causing a government shutdown with their stringent

demands, which would have adversely affected hard-working families" (Douglas-Gabriel, 2023).

Joe Biden, as a Democratic president, has consistently reinforced the cause of student

debt relief. This aligns with data indicating that "Democratic state governments have a positive

impact on overall state expenditures, tax policies, family support programs, and workers'

compensation" (Ortega, 2020). Economists are concerned that continuing student debt payments

could potentially impede our economic recovery, especially with the looming threat of a

recession (Montague, 2023). Furthermore, Democrats have a strong track record of advocating

for the well-being of underrepresented minorities. Research demonstrates that colleges operating

under Democratic governors tend to enroll a greater number of minority students and receive

increased funding (Ortega, 2020). In contrast, Republicans tend to resist state funding for

universities and uphold established norms, some of which have negative implications related to

racial equity (Cantwell, 2021). President Biden emphasizes how federal forgiveness programs

have historically been plagued by inaccuracies in disbursements and eligibility criteria. This has

led to renewed resistance from Republicans, who are inclined to preserve the existing norms

(Montague, 2023).

Higher education is traditionally seen as a means to facilitate upward mobility and

provide equal opportunities, a stance typically advocated by left-wing governments. However,

historical funding for higher education has often been regressive, as it tends to disproportionately

benefit the offspring of more wealthy families, who gain more from public tax funding
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(Garritzmann, 2017). President Joe Biden is striving to address this issue through his debt relief

program, aiming to create the genuine mobility that one expects from higher education, "7,000

individuals in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program have finally received the relief they

were eligible for, after nearly 15 years" (Montague, 2023). However, the ongoing resistance from

Republicans has turned funding for higher education into a partisan matter. This partisan divide

has led to public universities focusing on students who can afford tuition, inadvertently resulting

in a less diverse and inclusive system in terms of both race and socioeconomic backgrounds

(Cantwell & Taylor, 2020). Given the predominantly white, Christian, and male composition of

the Republican party, it raises questions about whether they are supporting policies that uphold

inequitable traditions for self-serving purposes. One must muse whether our government

genuinely supports all citizens' access to equal opportunities in higher education through student

debt relief or if they wield their power in favor of the already privileged.
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References

Cantwell, B. (June 12, 2021). The Culture War has Come for Higher Education:
Now is the Time to Fight. Chronicle of Higher Education.

Cantwell, B., & Taylor, B. J. (2020). Political Rancor and Educational Inequality:
Why Building Consensus Is Necessary to Renew American Higher
Education. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 52(3), 68-72.

Douglas-Gabriel, D. (2023, October 4). Biden touts $9b more in student loan forgiveness,
progress in debt relief. The Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/10/04/biden-student-loan-forgiveness-9-
billion-debt-relief/

Garritzmann, J. L. (2017). The partisan politics of higher education. PS: Political

Science & Politics, 50(2), 413-417.

Imlay, S. J. (2021). Tuition, Targeting, and Tradeoffs: A Conjoint Analysis of

Americans’ Preferences over the Design of Higher Education Subsidies. The Journal
of Higher Education, 1-32.

Montague, Z. (2023, October 5). Biden Cancels Billions More In Loan Debt For Students. New
York Times, A17. https://link-gale-com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/apps/doc/A767763009/CDB?
u=msu_main&sid=bookmark-CDB&xid=c73cd35b

Ortega, A. (2020). State partisanship and higher education. Economics of

Education Review, 76, 101977.