Despite things being less than rosy in the Middle East and the U.S. midwest, particularly in Ohio, the Biden administration can crow about a few developments. Recent stops on the campaign trail at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a commencement address at Morehouse, and a speech at the Detroit branch of the NAACP fueled his attempt to appeal to Black voters, and on Wednesday he announced another round of student debt cancellation.
He may have to hold off the crowing on student loan cancellation since his administration is being sued by 18 Republican-led states challenging Biden’s SAVE plan. If this effort makes it through Congress, some 160,000 borrowers will receive financial relief. And their votes will be vital in November.
“From day one of my administration”, Biden said in a recent statement, “I promised to fight to ensure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity. I will never stop working to cancel student debt, no matter how many times Republican-elected officials try to stop us.”
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This latest round is slated to impact 54,000 borrowers enrolled in Biden’s new income-driven repayment plan, along with 39,000 enrolled in earlier plans. An additional 67,000 who are eligible through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program can expect relief. The proposed plan will erase $7.7 billion in federal student loans, bringing the overall cancellation of student debt to $167 billion for nearly 5 million Americans through several programs.
On the international front, Biden applauded Kenyan President William Ruto for deploying Kenyan forces to Haiti to quell the alarming spread of gang violence. He also defended his position to withhold sending American troops to the turmoil.
“Haiti is in an area of the Caribbean that is…very volatile,” Biden said at a joint news conference with Ruto, the first state visit to the U.S. by an African leader in more than 15 years. “There is a lot going on in this hemisphere. So we’re in a situation where we want to do all we can without us looking like America once again is stepping over and deciding this is what must be done.”