One Arizona senator joined Republicans this week in blocking President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan that promised to rid up to $20,000 worth of debt from qualified former students that had taken out loans in order to pay for their college education, joining multiple Democrats in a statement against the Biden administration's plan.
Arizona Senator Joins GOP in Debt Vote
Senator Kyrsten Sinema decided to vote alongside Republicans and two Democrats in the U.S. Senate this week, as the chamber voted to block the Biden administration's plan to eliminate student debt for qualified citizens.
Senators Joe Manchin and Jon Tester joined Sinema in voting in favor of the measure, with the two moderate Democrats joining Sinema, the Democrat-turned-Indepdent. In most of the negotiations surrounding the debt ceiling that dominated headlines this week, Sinema had sided with her former Democratic colleagues, including fellow Copper State Senator Mark Kelly, but saw a significant difference in the party's stance on student debt relief.
“Like many Arizonans, education was my key to opportunity,” Sinema said in a statement. “Arizonans expect — and deserve — lasting solutions that tackle the underlying problem of high education costs.
“The President’s student loan forgiveness plan — fueled by politics and not reality — is unfair to hardworking Arizonans who have responsibly paid their student loans, creates false expectations, and undermines Arizona students’ economic certainty.”
Sinema Looks for Alternatives as Student Debt Plan Likely to Continue
While Sinema has not backed Biden's plan, she has stated that she would support alternate solutions to the problem of student debt, which has saddled many young adults with heavy amounts of debt as they move into the workplace, stunting savings and posing serious issues to their finances.
The action taken by the Senate is expected to be vetoed by Biden, but will still stand as a firm rebuke to the administration's student debt plan and certainly makes a statement against the policy, which still faces significant legal challenges before it is able to be enacted.
At DailyNewsNow we bring you the latest news from the West Coast and around the country, covering a wide range of topics from politics and campaign news to entertainment and local interest stories. Please feel free to follow and join in the conversation in the comments!
Comments / 176