Biden's reported student debt forgiveness plan 'won't do anything,' NAACP says

President Biden
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Biden is planning to cancel $10,000 in student debt per borrower, a new report says.

According to The Washington Post, Biden hoped to announce this student loan plan as soon as this weekend in a speech at the University of Delaware but delayed it due to the recent shooting in Texas. The plan reportedly involves limiting debt forgiveness to those who made less than $150,000 the previous year, or $300,000 for married couples.

Biden said last month he would make a decision on forgiving student loan debt in the next few weeks, though the White House told the Post a final decision still hasn't been made.

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Reports of the plan, though, quickly generated pushback from those who argued Biden wouldn't be going far enough. Marissa Higgins, a writer at Daily Kos, tweeted that after "ALL of this organizing and so many appeals from marginalized people," forgiving $10,000 for those who make under $150,000 a year will "not get people to the polls or more importantly, help them."

NAACP President Derrick Johnson also slammed the reported plan, saying canceling $10,000 in student debt would be "like pouring a bucket of ice water on a forest fire. In other words, it won't do anything, especially for the Black community." The group also said "$10,000 in cancelation would be a slap in the face," calling on Biden to instead cancel "all of it."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.