Democrats' Affordability Push Overlooks Student Debt Crisis

With 100 days until the midterms, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries unveiled the 'Fighting for an Affordable America' tagline on CNN, citing high costs of food, gas, rent, and mortgages. He blamed President Trump's tariffs, the Iran war, and Medicaid cuts. Later, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Jeffries joined Governor Josh Shapiro and congressional candidate Bob Brooks to address the affordability crisis. However, the Democrats' messaging omits student loan costs, a burden for 40 million Americans. Under Biden's SAVE plan, a typical family of four earning $81,000 paid $36 monthly; under Trump's RAP plan, that rises to $440, a 1,000% increase. A Debt Collective survey of 1,500 debtors found 50% expect a $500 monthly increase. The Department of Education admitted to a glitch where thousands were wrongly told payments were $50, and MOHELA sent erroneous delinquency notices. Litigation in DC district court challenges a 'shadow repeal' of the REPAYE plan. In July, a bill exempting state-based lenders from transparency laws passed the Senate HELP Committee with nine of eleven Democrats supporting it. The Debt Collective urges Democrats to call for an immediate pause on student debt payments, as Trump did in 2020. The article, by Braxton Brewington, national press secretary for the Debt Collective, was originally published at Common Dreams.