'Is That What You're Saying, Mr. Secretary?': Aaron Bean Grills Cardona About Loan Forgiveness

4 months ago

At Tuesday's House Education Committee hearing, Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL) grilled Education Secretary Miguel Cardona about student loan forgiveness.

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Transcript

00:00 they won't have to do it. I want to congratulate you because you have done something. Few have

00:04 done. You have united Republicans and Democrats, House members and Senators on coming together

00:13 to say that the Department of Education doesn't have the authority to give money that's not

00:19 theirs away in the terms of student loans. Are you aware that even the Supreme Court

00:28 has come out and said this is outside of your authority? Are you aware of that? The Supreme

00:34 Court, the highest court in the land, has said, "Department of Education, this is not

00:38 your purview. It's not your money. This belongs in Congress." Are you aware of that, Mr. Secretary?

00:43 The decision of the Supreme Court was in reference to the HEROES Act. I'm acting under the Higher

00:47 Education Act. So you're interpreting it different. You're saying that you trump Congress and

00:51 you trump the courts. Is that what you're saying, Mr. Secretary? That is not what I'm

00:55 saying. Well, that's what it appears and that's why people are struggling with it. People

00:59 will think it's arbitrary, but yet you've picked winners and losers of who you allow

01:05 to forgive the money that's not ours. It's the taxpayers. It's not forgiven. It comes

01:09 back to us. First of all, are you aware that a lot of times, and I've been in hearings

01:15 and I was a banker and made loans, a lot of student loans don't actually go to fund education.

01:21 They're where the students have rolled in credit card debt or taken trips or bought

01:25 cars. Are you aware that it's not all actually going to education? Are you aware of that?

01:30 The work that we're doing with public service loan forgiveness and borrower defense.

01:33 You may not be aware, so I'll tell you. I've been to hearings and the way they do it, they

01:37 combine debt. But you have put, picked winners and losers because for those students that

01:44 have chosen a religious-based school or a private school, you've not forgiven their

01:50 loans. Is this your way of declaring war on those that pick a religious school or a private

01:55 school?

01:56 Absolutely not. We're working for the working class folks who need a break instead of tax

02:01 breaks to millionaires. We're trying to focus on helping those who are trying to get their

02:05 education and not be in a lifetime of debt, sir.

02:08 I want to make you aware of so many things out there. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

02:12 I yield back.

'Is That What You're Saying, Mr. Secretary?': Aaron Bean Grills Cardona About Loan Forgiveness

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