Local leaders are stepping up the pressure on President Biden to tackle the issue of student debt by taking official action in their own jurisdictions that they hope will urge him to forgive some college loans.
The District of Columbia and several other city governments have passed resolutions that call on the federal government to act on student loan cancellations. The moves come as Biden laid out new measures toward economic equity this week, an issue that student loan advocates say could be tackled in part by canceling student loans.
The resolution D.C. passed on Tuesday unanimously urges immediate attention from the federal government and to “begin the transition to education as a public good,” outlining how student loans impact the District’s residents.
“Student debt is a contradiction in terms. Students should not have to accrue debt to be educated, and education should be a public good. The student debt crisis hits communities of color, women, and low-income families hardest — both in the District and across the United States,” said D.C. Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George, who introduced the resolution.
The Boston City Council passed a resolution in April that calls on the federal government to cancel all student loan debt, saying it’s a “burden” that disproportionately impacts communities of color. A resolution passed by Philadelphia’s City Council in March specifically called for Biden to cancel student debt within his first 100 days in office, which elapsed in April.
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