“It’s not just me. There are tens of millions of people across the country wanting student loan debt cancellation. They raise their voices every day and I hope the White House hears them, ”Warren said in a brief interview on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. “That really convinces a man that it is time to do this.”
Her latest move is to withhold endorsement from James Kvaal, a veteran of the Obama administration, as Undersecretary of State for Education, such a person familiar with the situation, while pushing for college reforms that govern the way the federal government is managing. would change student loans. It’s an issue she has long been raising publicly, including calling for greater oversight of for-profit colleges and publicly denouncing the companies that offer student loans.
In the interview, Warren declined to comment specifically on the Kvaal matter, referring instead to a brief statement released by her office.
“Our office had constructive discussions with the department [of Education] on a number of necessary reforms and these talks will continue, ”said Kristen Orthman, their spokeswoman.
Senators from both parties often use holds – or threats – to enforce promises from the government, and Warren was not afraid to berate President Donald Trump or even President Barack Obama nominees in the past.
But this time, instead of writing comments or making fiery speeches, she’s spent more than two months playing a behind-the-scenes piece with Kvaal’s nomination to get what she wants in student loan reform.
“It can definitely be loud when it wants to be loud, and that’s not loud,” said Jeff Hauser, founder and director of the Revolving Door Project, a left-wing group that oversees Washington’s corporate relations. “This seems like a measured response to the concerns people generally have about the Department of Education.”
Still, the hold is the most glaring example yet of Warren using her power in an evenly divided Senate to put pressure on the Biden administration, and it contrasts with her previous efforts to left the White House with a conciliatory vote push. It also puts Warren at odds with fellow Democrats who want the nomination of Kvaal, a former education and White House official under the Obama administration, to move forward quickly.
Senator Patty Murray, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, who voted 7-3 in April to endorse Kvaal, stands by him, said Madeleine Russak, a committee adviser.
Senator Murray believes Mr Kvaal’s record shows that he is clearly qualified to serve as Secretary of State for Education and has no doubt that once he is confirmed, he will fight to build a more equitable higher education system for all students – too by addressing our student debt crisis, “and improving accountability and quality oversight,” said Russak.
A spokesman for the Department of Education refused to go into detail about discussions with Warren.
“We have worked with Senate offices and are encouraged by the discussions and developments surrounding the James Kvaal nomination,” said the spokesman. “We share the same goals in order to make the Federal Office for Student Aid more consumer-friendly and to stand up for student borrowers. Because of this, we have taken several steps to achieve this goal, including providing nearly $ 3 billion in targeted loan facilitation and engaging Richard Cordray as Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid.
Cordray is a close ally of Warren and was the first director of one of her distinguished accomplishments, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Another, Julie Margetta Morgan, was appointed by Biden as a senior advisor in the office of the Secretary of State for the Department of Education. Both appointments speak of the influence Warren has in key positions in the Biden administration.
The news of Warren’s efforts, first reported by Bloomberg and The Washington Post, comes as she continues her advocacy of student debt and Biden faces mounting grumbling from progressives in general about climate change, childcare, and other key agenda items they fear left behind become. Warren has made the cancellation of up to $ 50,000 in student loan debt a key element of their presidential campaign platform for nearly all borrowers and has continued to urge Biden to be in office. She and other progressive lawmakers, including Boston Rep. Ayanna Pressley, have argued that the nearly 43 million Americans on student loans are being crushed by debt, causing disproportionate harm to people of color.
Biden says he is in favor of legislation that enacts $ 10,000 in student debt per borrower, but Warren urged him to do more and through action from the executive branch in February, she urged voters to write to Biden, to urge him to give up to $ 50,000. Biden did not include student loan waivers in his 2022 budget released in May and asked the Department of Education to review his authority to pay off student debts through executive action. This review, which began in April, has not yet been completed.
Federal student loan payments have been on hold since March 2020 because of the pandemic, and Biden has extended them through September 30. On Wednesday, Warren and Pressley led a group of 50+ lawmakers who sent a letter to Biden asking him to again extend the student loan payments freeze through March 31.
“We urge you to act quickly to extend the current payment and interest hiatus so that borrowers are not penalized and student debt payments do not slow the pace of our economic recovery,” lawmakers wrote.
If the September 30 deadline doesn’t change, it will likely become a major focal point between the Biden administration and student debt advocates like Warren well into summer.
“She’s only doing what advocates do, which is trying to hold the administration accountable to Biden’s election promises,” said Natalia Abrams, executive director of Student Debt Crisis, a non-profit group that advocates reform of student loan and college loan policies.
“At that point, he was just extending the payment hiatus and nothing was being done for student loan borrowers,” Abrams added. “Nothing was done to reform the system.”
Jess Bidgood can be reached at Jess.Bidgood@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessbidgood. Jim Puzzanghera can be reached at jim.puzzanghera@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimPuzzanghera.
source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/warren-slows-confirmation-of-biden-higher-ed-pick-as-battle-over-student-aid-escalates/
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