Former Democratic Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill cast doubt on the effectiveness of President Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan on Friday’s edition of “Morning Joe.”
McCaskill said although she agrees with the president’s policy, she doubts it will provide relief for students given the high costs of tuition or mobilize young voters in the upcoming midterm elections.
“The increase in college tuition has been obscene in this country over the last 10-20 years,” she said. “I mean, what used to be reasonable for every American in terms of attaining a higher education has become completely unattainable. And I’m not sure Biden’s policy here works. The other big question about this decision, while I don’t disagree with the decision he’s made about this, is will it really have the impact they’re hoping for with younger voters.”
The former senator said younger people are less likely to cast a ballot than older voters. She then added that the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, will increase young voter turnout. (RELATED: CNN’s Catharine Rampell Criticizes Plan To Cancel Student Loan Debt)
“Will this forgiveness of college debt actually have the impact they’re hoping for? Will younger voters all of a sudden go ‘oh my Gosh, now I gotta really focus on these elections and getting out to vote’? It will be interesting to see. I think [the] Dobbs decision is gonna do more to get people out to vote. The Roe v. Wade being dismantled, the really extreme laws being proposed against women in all of these states on that topic, that’s gonna be much more of a motivator than, unfortunately, than what the president just did around college debt.”
The president announced a plan Wednesday to cancel $10,000 per borrower making less than $125,000 a year and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, a key part of his 2020 platform, despite criticism that it could make matters worse.