President Joe Biden’s studentloanforgiveness program could benefit around 300,000 Utahns. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox joined 21 other Republican governors in signing a letter in opposition to the plan.
The letter asks the Biden administration to withdraw the student loan plan immediately.
The GOP governors argue the Biden administration’s plan is a way to use every American’s tax dollars to pay for the education of a handful of people. The letter argues that those with the most debt have advanced degrees and higher wages, meaning the taxes from lower-income workers would be paying off “the master’s and doctorate degrees of high salaried lawyers, doctors, and professors.”
“Only 16-17 percent of Americans have federal student loan debt, and yet, your plan will require their debts be redistributed and paid by the vast majority of taxpayers,” the letter to Biden reads. “Shifting the burden of debt from the wealthy to working Americans has a regressive impact that harms lower income families.”
When reached for comment, Jennifer Napier-Pearce, communications director and senior advisor in the Cox administration, said the governor could not be reached because he is traveling overseas and referred The Salt Lake Tribune to the language in the letter. Cox’s weekly schedule indicates he is in the Middle East this week as part of a trade mission with World Trade Center Utah. He visited Israel on Monday,