Newman backs calls for Biden to cancel student debt

U.S. Rep. Marie Newman echoed calls from other Democrats for President Joe Biden to cancel large amounts of federal student loan debt.

Newman, D-La Grange, endorsed the position of several other progressive Democrats in Congress in a Tweet this week.

“Education should not be a lifelong financial burden,” Newman said in the tweet. “Student loan debt exacerbates the already staggering economic divide in this country. We need to address it now.”

Newman made the comment on a Tweet from U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts, in which she called on the president to be “bold” and cancel up to $50,000 in federal student loan debt per borrower.

Biden hasn’t appeared particularly open to taking executive action on canceling debt. Still, his press secretary, Jen Psaki, recently tweeted their team is “reviewing whether there are any steps he can take through executive action and he would welcome the opportunity to sign a bill sent to him by Congress.”

But progressives like Newman have focused their arguments on the president taking action himself, even if Democrats control both the House of Representatives and the Senate by narrow margins.

Newman represents part of Crest Hill, Lockport and Romeoville.