President Joe Biden officially extended the pandemic pause on federal student loan repayment on Wednesday. Borrowers won't have to renew their monthly payments until the end of August. Reactions to the announcement have been mixed.
There've been indications for a while now that the administration would extend the student loan pause — for the fifth time. And what a lot of people are saying — whether they support canceling student debt or not — is, just make a decision. Either take some action to permanently cancel student debt or prepare borrowers for the reality that they'll once again need to start payments.
I'm glad @POTUS will extend the pause on student loan repayments. It will help so many.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) April 5, 2022
But I think he needs to go further. We've got to ease the burden, not merely delay it.⁰
Let's start by canceling up to $50,000 in debt per borrower.⁰
And let's do it now, Mr. President.
Biden has extended student loan debt to August 31, 2022 now. Man you keep pushing back the date. Just go ahead and waive student loan debt. Y’all been surviving without my student loan debt payment. Y’all don’t need it. Just clear my debt 🤝
— Corddaryl Woodford (@Corddaryl) April 5, 2022
the student loan payment extensions are traumatizing. this no longer feels like *relief*. this level of uncertainty is stressful and traumatizing! #CancelStudentDebt
— Kim Young, MSW, LCSW (@dopeblack_slwkr) April 5, 2022
Biden has said he wants Congress to pass a student debt relief bill. In the meantime, his press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that the administration will continue to assess the impact of the pandemic and inflation on borrowers’ ability to repay student loans.
In a statement released by the White House, Biden hinted that students should prepare as though loan forgiveness isn't on the table.
"I’m asking all student loan borrowers to work with the Department of Education to prepare for a return to repayment, look into Public Service Loan Forgiveness and explore other options to lower their payments," he said. "Vice President [Kamala] Harris and I are focused on supporting borrowers in need, and believe that this pause will provide a continued lifeline as we recover and rebuild from the pandemic."
