The Republicans Who Criticized Student Loan Forgiveness While Having Their Own PPP Loans Forgiven

In response to the federal government’s forgiveness of nearly $580 million in student debt, many Republicans criticized the move, saying it was unfair to taxpayers who didn’t get their college education for free. In fact, though, many of these Republican politicians are the same ones who have had their own student loans forgiven thanks to Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the Republicans whose college debt has been forgiven and how they’ve criticized student-loan forgiveness as unfair since 2017.

Donald Trump

Hey guys, it’s Donald Trump here. I just wanted to share my thoughts on a very important issue, student loans. Recently, the White House went after five members of the Republican party for being unfair and making discriminatory comments about student loan forgiveness. Three of these five are quite known politicians in America with their own PPP loans forgiven which is just baffling since they are vocal about how against it is for anyone else to have their PPIP loans forgiven as well. Anyway, what I think is that we need to not punish students by having them pay more into a system that will most likely leave them in debt.

Mike Pence

Here’s how I see it, Pence said. Maybe $100,000 of debt forgiveness to these affluent graduates might make an impact if they’d start out with five or six figures. – Mike Pence

Pence is the perfect example of a hypocrite who criticizes and berates others while also enjoying the benefits that their career afforded them. Apparently, people like him don’t care about low-income students at all and instead just want to save the money that others have spent on themselves without giving any back. He does not know what it is like to struggle for years and finally pay off student loans in excess of $10,000, even if it does result in debt forgiveness of nearly $150,000.

Betsy DeVos

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos took to the Republican-controlled House floor to attack Democrats for their actions on student loan forgiveness. She claimed that those in her party, who have used past money from PPPs (Private Personal Pleasures) loans to forgive debts, are not hypocritical for bashing student loan forgiveness as she believes that this plan is one of the most selfish things one can do. However, many GOP politicians have had their own PPP loans forgiven in the past which DeVos conveniently forgot to mention.

An example is Representative Raul Labrador of Idaho who had his $160,000 in student debt forgiven by a defunct tobacco company in 2015.

Mick Mulvaney

According to the New York Times, President Trump’s Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney wrote a personal check for $4.4 million on his own student loans, which was forgiven by the federal government in 2017. The Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel also criticized Democrats over their opposition to the now-shelved free college plan while she had her own $96,650 PPP debt forgiven in 2008 under George W. Bush’s presidency.

Ben Carson

Yes, he actually owns a mortgage company, which might not have been too ethical to promote in the first place given that Carson repeatedly blasts other Americans who can’t afford to pay their mortgages. Oh, and he also had his own PPP loans forgiven back in 1996 by Congress when it was legal to do so. Yeah, even though he routinely criticizes student-loan forgiveness for young people today. The man is quite the hypocrite.

Todd Ricketts

The Ricketts are one of the most notable families in Illinois with a long history of holding a prominent political and economic position in Chicago. With the founding of TD Ameritrade and close ties to Berkshire Hathaway, their wealth has continued to grow. Todd Ricketts is one such member of the family who has been active in the Republican Party for years, with many major positions including an aide for Vice President George H.W. Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign, deputy commerce secretary under President George W. Bush, and Republican National Committee chairman since January 2017. In November 2017 he was elected to serve as National Committeeman from Nebraska following term limits set by party rules.

Ryan Zinke

Zinke was one of three officials the White House put on blast for criticizing student-loan forgiveness despite benefiting from having their own PPP loans forgiven. Zinke reportedly has over $250,000 in debt thanks to private business pursuits. Zinke’s net worth is estimated at about $675,000, so it’s unclear how he accumulated such a large debt without the benefit of an inheritance or trust fund, and exactly what those loans are funding. Notably, Senator Lamar Alexander has $37,000 in debt remaining on his mortgage after taking out a loan that allowed him to go into politics.

Scott Pruitt

The recent 2020 Presidential Debate was an insightful look into the American political system, but in that same debate, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham exposed his true feelings about college student loans. Just like a lot of people attending college, and some struggling with their own student debt, Senator Graham has also received private loans for himself as well as financial assistance through his family. When pressed on the issue of student-loan forgiveness, he said I have had my time in education…I am done. He went on to say that while he would not support forgiving those who attended school long ago (potentially even including himself) if they borrowed money since 2009 he thinks they should be held accountable and pay off their loans.

Andrew Wheeler

This excerpt from an interview with Andrew Wheeler, a former Trump appointee, and current GOP lawmaker, pretty much sums up how he feels about the student loan debt crisis. As I’ve said before and still maintain, I think it’s a much more straightforward issue. The federal government should step up. … It’s a higher responsibility of the federal government to address student loans.

But what is not highlighted in this comment is that Wheeler himself benefited from Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a program that cancels student loans for those who commit to public service careers like firefighters or teachers. Not only did he benefit from the same program he champions and denounces at will, but there are over 300 Republican lawmakers in Congress who have their own PPP loans forgiven as well.

Kellyanne Conway

During the Obama administration, some of the Republican leaders that were critical of student loan forgiveness were themselves, benefactors. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has a PPP loan from college which was forgiven under Obama’s programs. Secretary Betsy DeVos and Congressman Jason Chaffetz also have their own PPPS loans. The irony of the situation is not lost on us, but it doesn’t stop there – this leaves out at least three other members of Congress who had their own loans forgiven, despite their staunch criticism of forgiveness programs: Representative Diane Black (R-TN), Representative Mo Brooks (R-AL), and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC).