New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears to have had a personal interest in promoting student loan forgiveness, according to her recent financial disclosure.
The Washington Examiner, which reviewed the filing, reported the progressive lawmaker owed the department between $15,000 and $50,000 for her student loans as of 2022.
News of Ocasio-Cortez's student loan debt previously was included in the congresswoman's 2021 financial disclosure, which showed her holding up to $50,000 in liability.
In 2021, when she was disappointed in President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion social spending plan, Ocasio-Cortez said it was time to pressure the president to cancel student debt.
"I think given how much BBB [Build Back Better] has been slashed, there is more opportunity than ever to bring the heat on Biden to cancel student loans," she said on her Instagram story, The Hill reported.
Then in May last year, Ocasio-Cortez took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to respond to a Marist poll that showed Biden had a low approval rating among young adults.
"Now would be a great time to cancel student loan debt, take significant climate action, and pass voting rights," AOC said.
The Supreme Court ruled in June that the Biden administration had overstepped its authority in trying to cancel or reduce $400 billion in student loans for millions of Americans.
Then in July, the Biden administration announced it will automatically cancel $39 billion in student debt for more than 800,000 borrowers.
That resulted in two conservative groups asking a federal court to block the administration's plan to cancel $39 billion in student loans.
In a lawsuit filed Aug. 4 in Michigan, the groups argue that the administration overstepped its power when it announced the forgiveness in July, just weeks after the Supreme Court struck down a broader cancellation plan pushed by Biden.
Biden first revealed a student loan forgiveness plan in August 2022, when he said he would forgive up to $20,000 worth of student loan debt for borrowers earning less than $125,000 a year individually or $250,000 for married couples.
Members of Congress earn an annual salary of $174,000.
Ocasio-Cortez celebrated Biden’s plan, and even demanded added forgiveness for people who owed more debt.
"It was YOUR pushing, YOUR pressure, YOUR organizing that got them to this point," Ocasio-Cortez posted on Instagram. "I am very grateful for this watershed moment of a first step — it is so encouraging, thrilling, and has already changed SO many people's lives. But I am also thinking about how this still leaves a question mark for those in the highest amounts of debt, who need the most amount of help. So let's celebrate and keep going."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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