[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 24, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2562-H2571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISAPPROVAL OF THE RULE SUBMITTED BY THE 
  DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RELATING TO ``WAIVERS AND MODIFICATIONS OF 
                        FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS''

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 429, I call up 
the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 45) providing for congressional 
disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule 
submitted by the Department of Education relating to ``Waivers and 
Modifications of Federal Student Loans,'' and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the joint resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McCormick). Pursuant to House Resolution 
429, the joint resolution is considered read.
  The text of the joint resolution is as follows:

                              H.J. Res. 45

       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That Congress 
     disapproves the rule submitted by the Department of Education 
     relating to ``Waivers and Modifications of Federal Student 
     Loans'' (including the website announcement entitled ``One-
     Time Federal Student Loan Debt Relief'' and the Federal 
     Register document entitled ``Federal Student Aid Programs 
     (Federal Perkins Loan Program, Federal Family Education Loan 
     Program, and William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program)'' 
     87 Fed. Reg. 61512 (Oct. 12, 2022)), and printed in the 
     Congressional Record on March 22, 2023, on pages S903-S906, 
     along with a letter of opinion from the Government 
     Accountability Office dated March 17, 2023, that the Waivers 
     and Modifications are a rule under the Congressional Review 
     Act, and such rule shall have no force or effect.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The joint resolution shall be debatable for 
one hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, or 
their respective designees.
  The gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) and the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).


                             General Leave

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.J. Res. 45, which would block the 
Biden administration's debt transfer scheme and prevent any further 
extension of the student loan repayment pause.
  For Democrats, there is a specter looming over this debate, an 
incontrovertible truth that disproves all their supposed principles and 
contradicts all their virtue signaling.
  Student loan cancellation is regressive. Let me repeat that for the 
Progressive Caucus. Student loan cancellation is regressive.
  Two-thirds of this debt transfer plan would go to the top half of 
earners. It takes from those in the lower half and gives to the upper 
half. It redistributes wealth, but from the bottom of our socioeconomic 
ladder to the top.
  For example, the repayment pause has provided $65,000 in de facto 
loan cancellation for the average lawyer. This is a professional-class 
bailout. More specifically, it is a professional-class, graduate-degree 
holder bailout. Of the loans that will be disbursed in 2024, 70 percent 
will be borrowed for graduate school. Nearly 40 percent of those people 
will go on to make over $100,000 annually in their careers. Those are 
the data absent partisan spin provided directly from the Department of 
Education.
  The spin comes from the left when they use words like 
``forgiveness.'' There is no such thing as forgiveness. The Biden 
administration is simply transferring the debt from borrowers who 
willingly took out student loans to hardworking taxpayers who did not. 
The 87 percent of Americans who hold no Federal student debt are paying 
for the 13 percent who do.

                              {time}  1230

  On top of that, the bailout is inflationary, which is always and 
everywhere a regressive working-class tax.
  According to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 
inflation could rise by as much as 27 basis points if mass student debt 
cancellation is implemented. Enacting mass student loan

[[Page H2563]]

cancellation could also lead to an additional two rate hikes by the 
Federal Reserve.
  Billionaires don't feel the effect of inflation. They don't notice 
when eggs cost $5.99 a dozen. They don't need to take out a mortgage to 
pay for their house, but working Americans do.
  Inflation already has a vise grip on blue-collar America. In fact, 
The Hill reported yesterday that ``a record share of Americans in a new 
survey from the Federal Reserve Board say they are worse off 
financially than they were a year earlier.''
  That is troubling and should be enough evidence alone to pass H.J. 
Res. 45 and nullify the Biden administration's deficit-increasing 
inflationary plan, but in typical limousine liberal fashion, Democrats 
want future taxpayers and hardworking Americans to foot the bill. 
Americans shouldn't buy it.
  America also shouldn't buy accusations from the left that H.J. Res. 
45 would charge borrowers backpay on interest payments. It couldn't be 
further from the truth.
  Nowhere in this resolution does it mandate backpay. It is 
prospective, not retrospective. If anything, it would be Secretary 
Cardona's decision to enact backpay.
  We know who will pay for the loans if the administration's plan is 
allowed to go forward. Those who will pay are those without degrees and 
those who paid off their debt, and those who can't afford to put gas in 
their cars or food on their table. The rest is just political noise.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge Congress to cut through that noise and stop this 
administration from enacting the biggest transfer of wealth from blue-
collar workers to white-collar professionals in our Nation's history.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.J. Res. 45, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 45.
  Forty-three million Americans are eligible for President Biden's 
student loan relief. That is an average of almost 100,000 people in 
each of our districts.
  Nearly 26 million borrowers in congressional districts all over the 
country have already applied for relief, including 16 million who have 
already been approved prior to litigation stopping the process. H.J. 
Res. 45 seeks to deny these borrowers the relief they were promised.
  To be clear, the people who would be impacted the most are not the 
wealthy and well-connected. Ninety percent of the relief would go to 
borrowers earning less than $75,000 a year. You are not even eligible 
if you are making over $125,000 a year. That is in stark contrast, of 
course, to the Trump tax scam, where 80 percent of the benefits went to 
the top 1 percent and corporations.
  Moreover, my Republican colleagues refuse to acknowledge the serious 
questions that have been raised about how the resolution would actually 
be implemented because, under the Congressional Review Act resolution, 
you don't get to pick and choose which parts of a rule you are 
overturning. You have to overturn the whole rule, including the pause 
in student loan payments and the deferral of interest.
  How do you unpause a payment that you were supposed to make many 
months ago? What is going to happen to all those interest payments that 
now have to be added back to the loans? That is about $233 per month in 
interest and principal.
  What happens to the credits that participants in the Public Service 
Loan Forgiveness Program were promised during those months? Are these 
firefighters, teachers, police officers, and other public servants who 
may have had their loans forgiven now on the hook for four additional 
payments?
  The reality is that H.J. Res. 45 would trigger a wave of 
delinquencies and defaults for our most vulnerable borrowers. 
Intentionally or not, this resolution would create chaos for borrowers 
and their families, as well as loan servicers.
  The Congressional Research Service has confirmed that this chaos 
would be triggered by the retroactive application of this rule.
  Mr. Speaker, anyone in the country who wants to take advantage of the 
benefits of a college education should be able to do so, not just the 
wealthy few. That is the way it used to be just several decades ago. 
Pell grants covered 80 percent of the cost of attending a State 
college. Now, it is less than 30 percent. When adjusted for inflation, 
States are paying less for State colleges than they used to.
  Mr. Speaker, this proposal does nothing to help students pay for 
their college education, so I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose the 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Good), the author of this resolution and the chair of the 
Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee.
  Mr. GOOD of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Foxx for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be the sponsor of this resolution of 
disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to hold President Biden 
accountable for his reckless, unfair, unlawful, unconstitutional 
student loan transfer scheme.
  President Biden simply does not have the authority to ``forgive'' 
loans and thereby spend, unilaterally, more than $300 billion.
  In fact, he even admitted that to CNN host Anderson Cooper in 
February 2021, saying: ``I don't think I have the authority to do it by 
signing with a pen.''
  Democrats, in fact, knew he didn't have the power to do it and 
advised him not to.

  Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on July 28, 2021, said: ``People think 
that the President of the United States has the power for debt 
forgiveness. He does not. He can postpone. He can delay. But he does 
not have that power. That has to be an act of Congress.''
  My friends and colleagues on the other side of the aisle piled on.
  Representative Jared Golden of Maine said: ``This decision by the 
President is out of touch with what the majority of the American people 
want from the White House, which is leadership to address the most 
immediate challenges the country is facing.''
  Representative Chris Pappas of New Hampshire said: ``This 
announcement by President Biden is no way to make policy and sidesteps 
Congress and our oversight and fiscal responsibilities. Any plan to 
address student debt should go through the legislative process, and it 
should be more targeted and paid for so it doesn't add to the 
deficit.''
  Representative Sharice Davids of Kansas said: ``It is not how I would 
have addressed this issue.''
  Yet, the President decided yet again to act unconstitutionally. Like 
the timing of the depletion of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, this 
so-called student loan transfer scheme--interesting timing--was just 
before the election.
  Despite his better judgment, a barrage of legal challenges, and this 
current effort by this Congress to nullify his actions, President Biden 
has preemptively announced that he will veto my resolution. I invite 
the President to reconsider his position.
  Federal involvement in higher education, as a matter of fact, has 
done nothing to bring down the cost of college. In fact, for every $1 
increase in student loan subsidies, colleges have increased their 
tuition by 60 cents. All across the country, more than 92 percent of 
all student loan debt comes from Federal loans, totaling over $1.6 
trillion.
  This debt is held by just 13 percent of the population--in fact, the 
most elite 13 percent. It is estimated that two-thirds of the student 
loan transfer scheme would go to the top half of earners, not to 
mention that 70 percent of the debt is owed by students who went to 
graduate school.
  Mr. Speaker, 60 percent of the constituents in my district don't even 
have a college degree. Yet, the Biden administration wants them to have 
to pay for the education of others who will have a significantly higher 
lifetime earning potential.
  Student loan cancellation doesn't make the debt actually go away. It 
simply shifts the costs from the student loan borrower and transfers it 
to hardworking American taxpayers.

[[Page H2564]]

  It is also worth mentioning the key role this policy plays in the 
fiscal health of our Nation as we address our debt ceiling. The 
principle of this resolution, nullifying President Biden's student loan 
transfer scheme, was one of the key provisions of the Limit, Save, Grow 
Act. Saving $315 billion by simply asking Americans to honor their 
commitment to pay back their own student loans will help us get our 
country's spending under control.
  Student loan borrowers are responsible for the debt they incurred, 
and Congress is responsible for the $32 trillion that we have spent.
  House Republicans take that seriously, which is why, a month ago, we 
passed a plan to responsibly raise the debt limit while providing 
historic savings for the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite Representative Pelosi and my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle to stand by their word and vote with me today 
in favor of this resolution to nullify President Biden's student loan 
transfer scheme. Congress must reclaim its power and act today to stop 
the unilateral action of President Biden that is exacerbating the 
higher education financial crisis.
  Additionally, my resolution will do what should have been done a long 
time ago: End the student loan repayment pause that has already cost 
taxpayers $195 billion.
  In short, this bill is needed to help steer our government spending 
in a more responsible direction, and I urge all of my colleagues on 
both sides to support this commonsense legislation and vote in favor of 
this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from 
Virginia that over 90,000 borrowers in his district will be denied 
relief if this resolution is enacted.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina 
(Mr. Clyburn), the assistant Democratic leader for the U.S. House of 
Representatives.
  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today because my colleagues across the aisle are 
once again seeking to put politics over people and inflict undue 
economic harm, this time by denying much-needed student loan debt 
relief.
  President Biden's targeted student loan debt relief plan is designed 
to help low- and middle-income borrowers, with 90 percent of the relief 
going to those earning less than $75,000 per year.
  In my home State of South Carolina, over 680,000 borrowers are 
eligible, of which over 67 percent are Pell grant recipients. Over 
48,000 borrowers in my district alone have been fully approved for 
relief.
  If enacted, H.J. Res. 45 will rescind life-changing relief for 
hardworking borrowers, renege on the payment pause by forcing them to 
pay several months of installments with interest, and claw back earned 
credit from public servants toward the Public Service Loan Forgiveness 
program. For many, this will mean thousands of dollars in payments with 
little to no notice. Cruelty seems to be the point.
  Mr. Speaker, President Biden's student loan debt relief plan will 
help alleviate the yoke of student loan debt for millions of Americans. 
Challenges to the program, both in court and posed by those in 
Congress, are meritless.
  Higher education shouldn't be a luxury for a privileged few. 
Borrowers deserve our help, and I urge my colleagues to vote down this 
resolution.

                              {time}  1245

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Walberg), a member of the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 45, 
introduced by my colleague, Mr. Good.
  This resolution will block President Biden's illegal debt transfer 
scheme.
  Forcing those who either did not attend college, saved and sacrificed 
to pay their way through school, or those who paid off their loans to 
pay for someone else's debt is simply unfair.
  Estimates show 570,000 of my constituents, nearly three-quarters of 
my district, will not benefit from this giveaway. Yet, as taxpayers, 
they will still be on the hook for over $3,500.
  It will further fuel inflation but does nothing to address the rising 
cost of college. Simply put, the President's illegal debt transfer is a 
slap in the face to those who paid their bills or did not go to 
college.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this 
resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are again reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from 
Michigan that over 90,000 borrowers in his district will be denied 
relief if this resolution is enacted.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. 
Bonamici).
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this 
misinformed attempt by our Republican colleagues to deny some needed 
financial relief to about 43 million Americans.
  Education is the best investment we can make to give everyone the 
opportunity to be successful in school and in life. In this Congress, 
we have repeatedly seen how willing our colleagues on the other side of 
the aisle are to put politics over people and special interests over 
students. This CRA is no different.
  Facts matter. Let's set the record straight. President Biden's loan 
forgiveness plan helps a lot of borrowers with debt but no degree. Many 
were borrowers who were defrauded by their schools or who had to take 
on other responsibilities and couldn't complete their education.
  The President's plan directs 90 percent--let me repeat--90 percent of 
relief to borrowers earning less than $75,000 per year. This may be 
news to my colleagues who continue to misrepresent that student debt 
relief will be a bailout for the rich. It is not.
  Another fact. Because of interest capitalization and negative 
amortization, many student loan borrowers who are current on their 
payments still have loan balances that are the same as or even greater 
than when they first took out their loan. That is unfair.
  Beyond the numbers, we must humanize who will be hurt the most if we 
allow this CRA to pass:
  Our Nation's teachers in red and blue districts who work with 
students every day; healthcare workers and first responders in red and 
blue districts who keep our communities safe and healthy; caregivers in 
red and blue districts who support the work of raising and sustaining 
families; and our Nation's small business owners in red and blue 
districts who make communities vibrant and unique.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to show some humanity, compassion, 
and empathy. Let's pass good-faith policies that make college more 
affordable and recognize the intrinsic value of opportunity and 
possibility in every American.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this 
regressive resolution that will harm people in Oregon and across the 
country.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's comments, but we 
are showing compassion to the 87 percent of the people in this country 
who played by the rules and paid their bills or didn't go to college. 
The 13 percent who did take out debt who haven't paid it back should 
show some similar compassion to their fellow human beings and not ask 
them to pay their bills.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Allen), a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 
45, which would overturn President Biden's egregious student loan 
transfer scheme.
  Our Nation is $31 trillion in debt. We are staring down a debt 
ceiling deadline due to the President's inaction. Yet, this 
administration is dead set on enacting costly programs like a massive 
student loan bailout that will increase the financial burden on those 
who did not take out a loan themselves.
  Hardworking taxpayers will be stuck with a tab of over $300 billion, 
and $1.4 billion in the 12th District alone, my district. Broken down 
further, the residents of Georgia's 12th District would

[[Page H2565]]

each have to pay the Federal Government an additional $3,527.
  To my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, student loan 
cancellation doesn't make the debt go away. It shifts the cost from the 
student loan borrowers who made a financial commitment and transfers it 
to the U.S. taxpayers.
  Forcing hardworking taxpayers to foot the bill for student loans they 
didn't borrow is simply unconstitutional, period.
  Democrats would also have you believe that canceling student loan 
debt would reduce the cost of college tuition.
  We can all agree that addressing ballooning college costs is 
paramount, but studies show increasing subsidies to colleges and 
universities causes the cost of college to increase. This overreaching 
plan is going to make the financial burden of pursuing a college degree 
even more severe.
  Overall, the student loan transfer scheme is unfair to hardworking 
Americans and unfair to future students.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this resolution to overturn the 
Biden administration's radical student loan bailout.

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from 
Georgia that over 110,000 borrowers from his district would be denied 
relief if this resolution is enacted.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Takano), the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this 
resolution to nullify the Biden administration's Federal student loan 
forgiveness rule. At a time when students need relief the most, 
Republicans are working to upend student loan forgiveness that started 
under Trump and now continues under President Biden for more than 40 
million borrowers.
  There was broad recognition during the pandemic that relief was 
desperately needed for businesses, families, and students. That is why 
Congress, and Republicans under Trump, voted to pass both the CARES Act 
and The HEROES Act, which provided not only student loan relief, but 
also loans to protect businesses from shuttering and direct support to 
families. These were forgivable loans that we gave the businesses.
  We helped workers and small businesses alike during the height of the 
pandemic. Again, both President Trump and President Biden paused 
student loan payments. Under this CRA we are debating today, we would 
see a rollback on the loan payment pause through September 2022. This 
is unimaginable.
  Do not be fooled by the faux populism of Republicans. They raised the 
debt ceiling three times to pay for their tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 
percent in America. By contrast, President Biden's targeted student 
loan relief plan helps Americans earning less than $75,000 a year.
  When Democrats were in the majority and on the hook for providing 
assistance, we rose to the occasion to help small businesses and 
employees alike. We did not renege on our support for businesses 
through the PPP loans. I see no reason why Republicans now insist on 
reneging on their support for students.
  Why, for the love of God, do Republicans want to continue to punch 
down on American students and divide our country?
  The Biden administration's student debt relief plan is not a bailout. 
It is a lifeline.
  I implore my Republican colleagues in Congress to speak with 
borrowers in their own districts about this very issue. College debt 
has been weighing on borrowers across all demographics across the 
country, including in their own districts.
  Mr. Speaker, this should not be a partisan issue, and I oppose the 
resolution.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bean), chair of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and 
Secondary Education Subcommittee.
  Mr. BEAN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, you get $3,527. You get $3,527. You 
get $3,527.
  Mr. Speaker, whether you like it or not, you have just acquired 
$3,527 in new student loan debt. That is right. Thanks to this crazy 
student loan bailout, every man, woman, and child in America will owe 
$3,527 to foot the bill for someone else's debt.
  Mr. Speaker, aren't we already in a debt crisis?
  Yes, we are.
  We already have a whopping $32 trillion in debt. We are struggling 
right now to come to an agreement on how we are going to pay our bills. 
This administration's student loan bailout will just throw gasoline on 
the inflation fire, making it even harder for our families to put food 
on the table. It is the last thing our economy needs.
  Mr. Speaker, is this fair?
  Of course it is not fair.
  This bailout sounds like a Houdini-type escape from the 
responsibility of student loan debt. Instead, 87 percent of Americans 
without student loan debt will end up paying for the 13 percent of 
Americans who do.
  How do you tell someone who has worked their way through college or 
joined the military to get through school, like my son, that they will 
now be saddled with paying off a Harvard graduate's underwater fire 
safety degree?
  This whacky student loan bailout is unfair to taxpayers and unfair to 
future generations of students.
  Mr. Speaker, the whole plan is nuts. There is only one correct 
answer, and that is to vote ``yes'' on this Congressional Review Act.
  Mr. Speaker, let's bring sense and sensibility to America's education 
system while protecting the interests of taxpayers.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from 
Florida that almost 120,000 borrowers from his district will be denied 
relief if this resolution is enacted.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina 
(Ms. Adams), the ranking member of the Workforce Protections 
Subcommittee.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.J. Res. 45, 
which will disapprove of waivers and modifications on borrowers of 
Federal student loans.
  As a former educator of 40 years, I am ashamed and astonished to see 
that my colleagues would introduce such divisive, misleading, and 
harmful resolutions. This partisan, all-Republican-led bill would end 
the one-time debt relief and the December payment pause.
  The Department of Education would also be prevented from issuing a 
similar ruling to the Biden administration's one-time debt relief and 
extension of payment pauses in the future.
  Let me be clear. This barely one-page bill does absolutely nothing to 
advance, to enrich, or to uplift borrowers.
  Under the Biden administration's plan, 43 million borrowers would be 
eligible for student loan relief, and 20 million would be eligible for 
full forgiveness of their loans, ensuring that individuals affected by 
emergencies, including COVID, are not placed in a worse financial 
position.
  Within my own district, there are more than 120,000 estimated 
eligible borrowers under the Biden student loan relief plan. Mr. 
Speaker, 79,900 of those borrowers were deemed automatically eligible 
for relief, and that is about 65 percent of the eligible borrowers. 
More than 50,000 of those were fully approved applicants that were sent 
over to loan servicers for discharge. That is about 42 percent of the 
eligible borrowers in my district.
  Tens of thousands of constituents from my district and across the 
country will have the ability to live their lives without the looming 
effects of student loan debt. Just imagine the millions of borrowers 
that would be impacted across this country, as well.
  Unfortunately, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle fail to 
realize the impact that this would have for so many Americans. This 
legislation moves to rid student aid borrowers in this country of any 
opportunity to better their financial situations.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds 
to the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, it is a step toward borrowers buying that 
house, taking that long-awaited trip, starting the family they wanted 
to start, and starting a business.
  Education is an American right and a privilege, and no one should 
deny that right from anyone. I look forward to

[[Page H2566]]

having a meaningful conversation, and I urge my colleagues to oppose 
this resolution.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues want us to feel so sorry for 
these people who took out these loans and who are not going to pay them 
back. My colleague in the 12th District of North Carolina said 121,000 
people in her district.
  Mr. Speaker, you know who I am feeling sorry for? The 622,600 people 
who are being asked to pay off the bill that those 121,000 people took 
out willingly and have benefited from. This is a backward way of 
looking at things. Compassion should be shown to the 622,600 people who 
didn't take out the loan but are now being asked to pay it back.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. 
Miller), the vice chair of the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce.

                              {time}  1300

  Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I strongly oppose President 
Biden's proposal to force blue-collar workers in my district to pay off 
the student loans of borrowers who attended universities who are 
sitting on billion-dollar endowments.
  In my district, there are 599,500 constituents who are not being 
asked to but will be forced to pay the student loan debt that people 
agreed to take out. This plan is unfair to responsible Americans who 
have diligently worked hard and saved money to fund their education.
  Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge the dedication of our 
military members who earned tuition benefits through their service. The 
rising costs of higher education deserve careful examination, 
particularly concerning the growing number of administrative positions 
focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  We must investigate the significant increase in administrative 
expenses that do not directly contribute to providing students with a 
quality education leading to meaningful employment.
  Universities that charge exorbitant amounts for humanities degrees in 
cultural Marxism should bear the responsibility when their graduates 
struggle to repay their loans due to a lack of viable employment 
opportunities.
  I urge my colleagues to prioritize the interest of taxpayers by 
opposing this proposal put forth by President Biden.
  Mr. Speaker, I see them laughing over there. I don't think the people 
that are going to be left holding the bag paying someone else's student 
loan debt are laughing.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from 
Illinois that over 75,000 borrowers from her district will be denied 
debt relief if this resolution is enacted.
  Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Virginia has 17\1/4\ 
minutes remaining. The gentlewoman from North Carolina has 11 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Garcia).
  Mr. ROBERT GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong 
opposition to House Republicans' efforts to eliminate critical student 
loan relief.
  Now, as an educator, it is shameful to me that my colleagues could 
look at this crisis of student debt in our country and decide to 
intentionally make it worse for 40 million Americans.
  These are the same people that voted for tax breaks for billionaires 
and large corporations, and now they are telling everyday people that 
we can't afford to help them, and it is appalling.
  When I was in the classroom, I saw my students take out loans for 
basic needs like rent and putting food on the table. We tell kids to go 
get an education, to go to college, to work toward the American Dream, 
but that also means taking out, oftentimes, thousands of dollars of 
loans.
  Student loan debt also disproportionately impacts people of color, 
low-income students, and millions of young people that may not have had 
access to financial training. Millionaires are not burdened with 
student debt; working-class people are.
  So let's be clear: Republicans in the House are putting billionaires 
and large corporations over students.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise, again, in support of H.J. Res. 45 and urge my 
colleagues to pass this bill.
  The Democrats and the White House have accused Republicans of working 
against the interests of our constituents; however, this just shows how 
out of touch Democrats are with the realities of the people in my 
district.
  While the White House likes to point to the fact that 75,000 of my 
constituents are eligible for the administration's bailout, they 
conveniently ignore that 675,000 of them, or over 90 percent, receive 
no benefit from this illegal scam.
  Moreover, 212,000 of my constituents have never even set foot on a 
college campus. According to the National Taxpayers Union estimate, the 
administration's blanket loan cancellation and income-driven repayment 
plan will cost over $3,500 per constituent. This will cost the 
hardworking constituents in my district $1.2 billion alone.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no such thing as debt forgiveness. The 
administration's student debt scheme simply transfers the cost from 
well-off college graduates to the backs of my constituents. I urge my 
colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.J. Res. 45, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this legislation that 
will harm 43 million student loan borrowers who need debt relief so 
that the Republicans can spend trillions of dollars in just a few weeks 
on tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent.
  Over 100,000 borrowers in my congressional district alone and over 
1.5 million Illinoisans will lose and be affected if the relief is 
denied. The maliciousness of this legislation is appalling. The bill 
would ban relief for 43 million borrowers and also drawback relief that 
millions of borrowers already receive.
  This heartless bill would force public servants like firefighters, 
teachers, social service providers, legal aid attorneys, and nonprofit 
workers to make additional payments. The callousness of this bill is 
heightened because the Republicans are bragging that they will spend 
trillions of dollars in just a few weeks to give trillions in tax 
breaks to the wealthy 1 percent while inflicting economic harm on 
Americans struggling with student loan debt. I reject this bill.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I would let Representative Davis know that in 
Illinois 11,655,200 people don't have student debt, and they will be 
the ones bearing the cost of the transfer from 90,800 people.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. 
Rose).
  Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, America is a country built on the idea of 
freedom. Freedom to most means the ability to live and make decisions 
without unreasonable constraints. Freedom does not mean freedom from 
individual responsibility.
  Unfortunately, President Biden and those who support his wealthy 
student loan giveaway scheme have gotten it backwards. They believe 
that hardworking, blue-collar Tennesseans should foot the bills for the 
wealthy.
  Simply put, this is plain wrong. Because in America, we are free to 
make decisions on our own and no one should be responsible for someone 
else's personal decisions.
  Mr. Speaker, by forcing this draconian student loan buyout down the 
throats of taxpayers, President Biden is hindering our freedom. That is 
why I urge my colleagues to join me in standing on the side of freedom 
by voting ``yes'' on H.J. Res. 45.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from 
Tennessee that 89,000 borrowers from his district will be denied relief 
if this resolution is enacted.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington 
(Ms. Jayapal), a member of the Education and Workforce Committee.
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this cruel 
resolution that will force low- and middle-income student loan 
borrowers to face severe financial hardship.
  In a reckless reversal of the payment pause, this measure sends an 
average of $1,000 in surprise student loan bills to over 40 million 
Americans. This absurd

[[Page H2567]]

approach to block President Biden's student debt relief plan hurts 
those who are most at risk.
  Older Americans owe a fifth of all student debt. Their debt has 
increased fivefold in the last 20 years. Black Americans owe an average 
of $44,800 in student debt. Over 6 million Americans living in rural 
areas owe an average of $35,000. Reversals to the Public Service Loan 
Forgiveness would put 260,000 public servants and 46,000 servicemembers 
back under the thumb of these crushing payments.
  Those who receive that Public Service Loan Forgiveness have played by 
the rules for years and sacrificed too much to have partisan efforts 
steal relief that they were already given and counting on.
  Our job is to protect working people, and that should mean ensuring 
that no one goes into unpayable debt just to get a degree to pursue 
their dreams. This Republican plan would increase the likelihood of 
defaulting for teachers, for law enforcement, for public servants 
across the board, and it would be a drop in the bucket toward actually 
addressing the deficit.
  Yet Republicans took $1.9 trillion from taxpayers and handed it to 
corporations in tax cuts, and dozens of them have absolutely no qualms 
in pocketing over $22 million in PPP forgiveness just in this body 
across the aisle.
  Congress should be prioritizing aid to seniors and borrowers from 
working families, not the wealthy. Vote ``no'' on this extreme, 
unworkable, and cruel resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter signed by over 260 
organizations, including labor, civil rights, and consumer protection 
groups calling on Congress to reject this harmful resolution.

                                                      May 8, 2023.
     Hon. Chuck Schumer,
     Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Kevin McCarthy,
     Speaker, House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Mitch McConnell,
     Minority Leader, U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Hakeem Jeffries,
     Democratic Leader, House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker 
     McCarthy, and Minority Leader Jeffries: The undersigned 261 
     organizations representing millions of students, workers, 
     people of color, veterans, people with disabilities, 
     consumers, and people of faith write in strong opposition to 
     bicameral efforts to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) 
     to overturn President Biden's actions to pause student loan 
     payments and provide student debt relief for low-income and 
     working-class Americans continuing to recover from the deadly 
     COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating economic fallout.
       In March, policymakers in the House and Senate unveiled a 
     CRA resolution to retroactively overturn the pause of federal 
     student loan payments and interest accrual, and President 
     Biden's debt relief plan. If successful, these CRA efforts 
     would immediately force tens of millions of borrowers into 
     abrupt and unplanned repayment with devastating effects, 
     including adding thousands of dollars of payments and 
     interest onto their loan balances. It will also force the 
     Department of Education to unwind loans forgiven under Public 
     Service Loan Forgiveness for first responders, nurses, 
     educators, servicemembers, and hundreds of thousands of other 
     public service workers across the country. These actions are 
     a clear attack on millions of the most vulnerable workers and 
     families who are still reeling from the devastating impact of 
     COVID-19.
       The President's student debt relief program and extension 
     of the pause on student loan payments are both plainly legal 
     and desperately needed by the more than 43 million borrowers 
     drowning in nearly $1.76 trillion in student loan debt. While 
     they await the Supreme Court's decision regarding the fate of 
     debt relief, tens of millions of borrowers and their families 
     are relying on the federal student loan payment pause as they 
     continue to face the economic aftershocks of the pandemic, 
     including high inflation. Data show that the payment pause 
     has been of greatest help to student loan borrowers who were 
     in financial distress even before the pandemic and has 
     successfully provided relief for those borrowers more than 
     other COVID-19 assistance programs. The payment pause is 
     broadly supported among individuals with and without student 
     loan debt and has been recognized as necessary by the Trump 
     and Biden Administrations alike. Further, the U.S. Secretary 
     of Education's use of the HEROES Act of 2003 to pause student 
     loan repayment falls within a long line of waiver and 
     modification authority exercised by prior administrations 
     without the invocation of the CRA, including by his immediate 
     predecessor for precisely the same purpose.
       Overturning the payment pause and forcing borrowers into 
     immediate repayment would have a devastating effect on 
     borrowers in every community. U.S. Department of Education 
     (ED) analysis demonstrates that a resumption of loan payments 
     without cancellation will spike delinquency and default rates 
     for the most financially vulnerable. Further, more than 26 
     million Americans applied for student debt cancellation in 
     the few weeks before it was shut down by partisan attacks in 
     the federal courts. This extraordinary engagement with 
     President Biden's cancellation plan is further evidence of 
     both the crushing burden this debt places on workers and 
     families from all walks of life and the promise of hope debt 
     cancellation offers for millions seeking an economic fresh 
     start.
       Recent polling illustrates that cancellation enjoys broad 
     popular support, underscoring the massive impact of student 
     debt across families, communities, and entire generations of 
     Americans, and the reasons for the program's popularity are 
     clear. Cancellation will also benefit many Americans who have 
     suffered the most throughout the pandemic--with 90% of relief 
     dollars going to borrowers earning below $75,000 a year. 
     These are student loan borrowers who are low- and middle-
     income, borrowers with disabilities, public servants who face 
     high educational costs and low wages, women and Black and 
     Latino/a borrowers who come from low-wealth families unable 
     to foot the bill for higher education upfront, and many more. 
     Cancellation will help prevent a wave of defaults and 
     delinquencies when repayment resumes and ensure that these 
     borrowers will be able to afford basics like food, housing, 
     and other necessities that pandemic-related financial 
     hardship would otherwise put out of reach.
       The American people, the law, and the economic instability 
     of the present moment all emphasize the necessity of debt 
     cancellation and the continuation of the payment pause until 
     cancellation is realized. Policymakers now seeking to reverse 
     such critical relief through the CRA are ignoring the 
     economic needs of their own constituents and threatening our 
     nation's financial security. Congress should be acting to 
     improve the circumstances of the American people, not 
     attempting to thwart the President's efforts to ease the 
     financial pressure that so many are feeling.
       For these reasons, we strongly oppose the efforts to 
     overturn this relief through the Congressional Review Act 
     (H.J. Res. 45/S.J. Res. 22) and we urge you to consider the 
     harmful impact they would have on the millions of American 
     people and families who are in need of student loan debt 
     relief.
           Signed,
       1000 Women Strong; AACTE (American Association of Colleges 
     for Teacher Education); Accountable. US; Adasina Social 
     Capital; Affordable Homeownership Foundation Inc.; AFGE; AFL-
     CIO; AFT Michigan, AFT, AFL-CIO; AFT-Wisconsin, AFT, AFL-CIO; 
     AKPIRG; Alabama State Association of Cooperatives; Alliance 
     for Justice; Amazon Labor Union; American Association of 
     University Professors; American Association of University 
     Women; American Federation of State, County and Municipal 
     Employees (AFSCME); American Federation of Teachers (AFT); 
     American Psychological Association; Americans for Financial 
     Reform; Appleseed Foundation.
       Arkansas Community Organizations; Asian Pacific American 
     Labor Alliance (AFL-CIO); Associate Students of the 
     University of California, Berkeley; Associated Students of 
     the University of Nevada; Association of Flight Attendants-
     CWA; Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents 
     (ALAS); ASUCM External office; Autistic Women & Nonbinary 
     Network; Bend the Arc: Jewish Action; Blue Future; BPUF.org; 
     CAARMA; Cabrini Green Legal Aid; California Association of 
     Nonprofits (CalNonprofits); Campaign for College Opportunity; 
     CASH Campaign of Maryland; CEA.org; Center for American 
     Progress; Center for Economic Integrity; Center for LGBTQ 
     Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR).
       Center for Responsible Lending; CFPB Union NTEU 335; 
     Chicago Foundation for Women; Church Women United in New York 
     State; Citizen Action of Wisconsin; Clearinghouse on Women's 
     Issues; Color Of Change; Colorado AFL-CIO; Colorado Fiscal 
     Institute; Columbia Consumer Education Council Inc; 
     Communication Workers of America (CWA); Communications 
     Workers of America District 7; Community Legal Aid Society, 
     Inc. (Delaware); Community Service Society of New York; 
     Consumer Action; Consumer Federation of America; Consumer 
     Federation of California; Consumer Reports; Consumers for 
     Auto Reliability and Safety; Council of Graduate Schools.
       Council on Social Work Education; Debt Collective; Delaware 
     Community Reinvestment Action Council; Dream Defenders; 
     Economic Action Maryland; EMPath: Economic Mobility Pathways; 
     Empower our Future; End Citizens United/Let America Vote 
     Action Fund; Equal Justice Works; External Vice President 
     Office of the Associated Students of the University of 
     California, Irvine; Faith Action for All; Faith in 
     Action; Fayetteville Police Accountability Community 
     Taskforce; Feminist Campus; Feminist Majority Foundation; 
     Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network; Forward 
     Montana; Fosterus; Freedom BLOC; Fresno Building Healthy 
     Communities.
       Friendship of Women, Inc.; Hawaii State Teachers 
     Association; HEAL Food Alliance;

[[Page H2568]]

     Hildreth Institute; Hispanic Federation; Housing and Economic 
     Rights Advocates; Indivisible; Instituto de Avance Latino 
     CDC; International Brotherhood of Teamsters; International 
     Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE); 
     Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc.; Justice in Aging; La Raza 
     Centro Legal, San Francisco; Latinos for Education; LCLAA; 
     Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR); 
     LeadMN--College Students Connecting for Change; League of 
     United Latin American Citizens; Legal Action Chicago; Loan 
     Repayment Assistance Program of Minnesota.
       Louisiana Budget Project; Maine Center for Economic Policy; 
     Maryland Center for Collegiate Financial Wellness Maryland 
     Volunteer Lawyers Service Massachusetts Action for Justice; 
     Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance Miami Valley Fair 
     Housing Center, Inc.; Michigan Poverty Law Program; Minority 
     Veterans of America; Montana Fair Housing; Mountain State 
     Justice; MoveOn; NAACP; National Association of Pediatric 
     Nurse Practitioners; National Association of Secondary School 
     Principals (NASSP).
       National Association of Social Workers:
       DC Metro Chapter, Alabama Chapter, Alaska Chapter, Arizona 
     Chapter, Arkansas Chapter, California Chapter, Colorado 
     Chapter, Connecticut Chapter, Delaware Chapter, Florida 
     Chapter, Georgia Chapter, Guam Chapter, Hawaii Chapter, Idaho 
     Chapter, Illinois Chapter, Indiana Chapter, Iowa Chapter, 
     Kansas Chapter, Kentucky Chapter, Louisiana Chapter, Maine 
     Chapter, Maryland Chapter, Massachusetts Chapter, Michigan 
     Chapter, Minnesota Chapter, Mississippi Chapter, Missouri 
     Chapter, Montana Chapter, Nebraska Chapter, Nevada Chapter, 
     New Hampshire Chapter, New Jersey Chapter, New Mexico 
     Chapter, New York City Chapter, New York State Chapter, North 
     Carolina Chapter, North Dakota Chapter, Ohio Chapter, 
     Oklahoma Chapter, Oregon Chapter, Pennsylvania Chapter, 
     Puerto Rico Chapter, Rhode Island Chapter, South Carolina 
     Chapter, South Dakota Chapter, Tennessee Chapter, Texas 
     Chapter, Utah Chapter, Vermont Chapter, Virgin Islands 
     Chapter, Virginia Chapter, Washington Chapter, West 
     Virginia Chapter, Wisconsin Chapter, Wyoming Chapter.
       National Association of Student Loan Lawyers; National 
     Black Justice Coalition; National Center for Law and Economic 
     Justice; National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-
     income clients); National Consumers League; National 
     Education Association (NEA); National Employment Law Project; 
     National League for Nursing; National Legal Aid & Defender 
     Association; National Nurses United (NNU); National Urban 
     League; National Women's Law Center; National Young Farmers 
     Coalition; New Era Colorado; New Georgia Project Action Fund; 
     New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center; New Jersey 
     Institute for Social Justice; New York Legal Assistance Group 
     (NYLAG); NextGen California; Nine Star Enterprises, Inc.
       Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU); NTEU 
     Independent Staff Union; Office & Professional Employees 
     International Union (OPEIU); Office of the Nevada State 
     Treasurer; Ohio Student Association; Oregon Student 
     Association; Our Revolution; P Street; Passengers United; 
     People's Action; Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada; 
     Protect All Children's Environment; Psycharmor; Public 
     Advocacy for Kids (PAK); Public Citizen; Public Counsel; 
     Public Good Law Center; Public Justice Center; Public Law 
     Center; Quiet Creek Herb Farm.
       Rachel Carson Council; RAISE Texas; Red River Association 
     of Educators; Rise; RootsAction.org; Rural Coalition; Rutgers 
     University Student Assembly; School Social Work Association 
     of America; Secular Student Alliance; SEIU Local 500; Service 
     Employees International Union (SEIU); South Carolina 
     Appleseed Legal Justice Center; Stella's Girls Inc; Student 
     Borrower Protection Center; Student Debt Crisis Center; 
     Student Loan Fund; Students First Consulting; Students 
     United; Suncoast NORML; Supermajority.
       Take on Wall Street; Texas Appleseed; Texas State Teachers 
     Association; The Arizona Students' Association; The Bell 
     Policy Center; The Education Trust; The Hope Center at Temple 
     University; THE ONE LESS FOUNDATION; Towards Justice; UC-AFT, 
     Local 1474; UCSB Associated Students Senate External Affairs 
     Committee; UCSB Lobby Corps; UFCW; UnidosUS; United Food and 
     Commercial Workers Union Local 400; United Way of Southern 
     Cameron County; University of Wisconsin Law School Consumer 
     Law Clinic; University of California Student Association; 
     Vermont-NEA; Virginia Poverty Law Center.
       Washington Council of Lawyers; Washington Office of the 
     Student Loan Advocate; We the 45 Million; Western Center on 
     Law and Poverty; Wisconsin Education Association Council; 
     Women Employed; Xavier University of Louisiana Student 
     Government; Young Invincibles; YWCA USA; Zero Debt 
     Massachusetts.

  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I think our colleagues on the other side of 
the aisle are doing their best to gaslight the 87 percent of their 
constituents who are going to be saddled with the debt from the 13 
percent.
  In Washington's 7th Congressional District, there are 686,200 people 
who don't have any college debt who are going to be asked to pay the 
debt off for 84,300 people.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Moran), who is a member of the Education and Workforce 
Committee.
  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Good of Virginia for 
introducing H.J. Res. 45, and I thank Chairwoman Foxx for her 
leadership in getting this important resolution to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, just a few statistics from my particular district in 
northeast Texas: Almost 70 percent of my district does not hold a 
college degree, and under this program, effectively what the President 
is asking for is, that those 70 percent should subsidize the college 
education of the rest of those individuals in my district.
  The cost for my district is $1.55 billion. The estimated number of 
constituents ineligible for student debt relief in my district is 
640,000 individuals out of 767,000 individuals in east Texas.
  Nearly 30 years ago when I began my post-education studies, I had to 
support myself through college. My parents wanted to do that, but they 
couldn't do it because of their financial status at the time, so paying 
for college was a matter of personal responsibility for me.
  Better stated, it was a matter of personal investment for my future. 
It was an investment that I chose to make. It was an investment that I 
knew I needed to make to fulfill God's call on my life.
  To pay for my education, I took on a variety of jobs, including being 
a server at a restaurant, running a vending route, serving as a 
painter's helper, even roofing a roof in the middle of the hot Texas 
sun.
  There was still a gap between what college was going to cost me and 
what I could earn on my own during those summer and weekend jobs that I 
had. Despite my hard work, a shortfall was still there, so I picked up 
college loans.
  When I did so, I evaluated what I was going to have to repay in the 
future. I looked at the degree programs I was studying, I looked at the 
future repayment plans before me, and I knew that it was a matter of my 
personal responsibility to pay back that loan that was going to benefit 
me and benefit my family.
  It was not a matter of me taking out those loans believing that 
others would, in fact, be on the hook to pay for them. As a father of 
four school-aged children, we are now going through that same process 
with my older two children to determine what we are going to do about 
their future. It is a decision we know we need to make and an 
obligation we know we need to keep on the back side of taking out any 
loans.
  Unfortunately, that is a conversation a lot of families don't have in 
this world before they send their kids off to school, and we need to 
make sure that there is more information out there before they incur 
the debt that ultimately they are going to have to repay.

                              {time}  1315

  But to saddle that repayment on the backs of others who have not 
benefited from it is simply wrongheaded. Frankly, it is 
unconstitutional for the executive branch to take that action without 
going through the legislative branch, but that is precisely what the 
President is attempting to do.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand in opposition to the student loan debt 
forgiveness program and in support of Mr. Good's joint resolution. I 
look forward to this being on the floor.
  I look forward to Americans in this country understanding that when 
they take an obligation for a loan repayment, that they are going to 
repay it, not others, because once we assume the obligations of every 
other person in this country, the free market, capitalist society that 
drives our economy is gone. We do not need to see that.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague from Texas 
that over 88,000 borrowers from his district will be denied relief if 
this resolution is enacted.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. 
Tlaib).
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I hope the American people are watching this 
shameful act to halt assistance on student debt for millions of 
Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, 90 percent of people who will benefit from President 
Biden's student relief make less than $75,000. To

[[Page H2569]]

my good colleague from Texas, as he says, these folks making all of 
these difficult decisions, how about this: Why don't those folks who 
took out PPP loans over there, who got it completely forgiven, give 
that money back?
  You are asking teachers, firefighters, all who are drowning in 
education debt, who will benefit from a public service loan forgiveness 
program, to pay it back while they are serving our country in all 
different forms, reverse it all, and pay the interest back as well. Let 
them struggle and suffer while, again, they are educating our children 
and protecting our communities.
  This is all happening, Mr. Speaker, while the far-right Republicans 
have filed a sham lawsuit to take it before an unhinged, corrupt 
Supreme Court that has secretly accepted lavish trips and payments from 
billionaire Republican mega-donors while considering striking down 
student debt relief.
  Now, our Republican colleagues, including many who took out over $20 
million in PPP loans during the pandemic when everybody was suffering--
that were completely forgiven--want to hurt fellow Americans who aren't 
wealthy like they are. They want to repeal the President's student debt 
relief program that has changed the lives of 43 million Americans for 
the better.
  Under President Biden's debt relief program alone, in Michigan over 
1.3 million residents were helped with the burden of crushing student 
debt.
  I don't know, Mr. Speaker. Maybe they are doing this because student 
relief is tied to racial justice. We know that more than 20 million 
borrowers will be completely debt free and one in four of them are 
Black borrowers.
  Our communities have been denied the ability to build generational 
wealth for far too long, targeted by police violence, systemic racism, 
and an economic system that is fueled by corporate greed.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow the same Republicans who had millions of 
dollars in PPP loans forgiven to repeal student debt relief. The 
hypocrisy is disgusting.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is 
remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from North Carolina has 4\1/
4\ minutes remaining.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time 
is remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Virginia has 10\3/4\ 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Frost).
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this resolution.
  I want to say something. My Republicans colleagues are pushing a 
narrative that student debt relief is unfair. To my colleagues, I agree 
with them. I agree that what is going on is unfair.
  Folks who paid off their debt, the fact that they had to have it in 
the first place is unfair. The fact that students still have to take 
out crushing student debt just to get a college education, that is 
unfair.
  If we legislated using the logic that you bring to this issue here 
today, women and Black folks wouldn't have the right to vote because it 
would be unfair to those who never got to vote before then.
  See, if we legislated using your logic, that because there was an 
injustice we can't fix it because it is unfair to those who never had 
it fixed, means we would never progress on any issue in this country.
  Why do you bring that * logic to this issue as it relates to students 
but not any other issue?
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I demand that words be taken down.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will suspend. The gentleman 
will take a seat.
  The Clerk will report the words.

                              {time}  1330

  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the 
offending words.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I have no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the offending words are 
withdrawn.
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will proceed in order.
  Mr. FROST. If we use this logic on every single issue, we would never 
have progress on anything.
  The truth of the matter is that young people and people don't have 
student debt because we live beyond our means. We have student debt 
because we have been denied the means to live. It is important to 
understand that.
  Congress needs to help fix this damaged economy, which gets more 
unequal and inequitable every single day. This resolution today is not 
delivering that help. It is making things worse. To people watching at 
home, to young people, the people with student debt, just know that the 
Republican Party here, my colleagues in this Chamber, are fighting to 
take away the relief that you need and that you deserve.
  This is about fairness. True fairness is ensuring that everyone has 
equitable opportunity. Twenty million constituents robbed of relief by 
their own Representatives is what this resolution is about.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that in the 10th District of 
Florida, 654,500 people will be paying the debt for 122,500 people.
  Mr. Speaker, over the last two decades, tuition and fees have 
increased nearly three times the rate of inflation.
  Democrats continually talk about how college is unaffordable yet fail 
to realize their failed policies exacerbate the problem of outrageous 
college costs.
  More Federal aid and generous loan subsidies allow schools to 
increase their prices to capture those additional funds. Economists at 
the New York Federal Reserve found that for every $1 increase in 
student loan subsidies, colleges increased their tuition 60 cents. 
Another study found colleges reduced their own grant aid by as much as 
83 cents for every dollar students receive in taxpayer student aid.
  The Biden administration is telling borrowers that someone else will 
pay their loans and telling institutions that someone else will cover 
the cost of tuition.
  It is no wonder the Congressional Budget Office found that the Biden 
administration's new income-driven repayment plan alone will increase 
student borrowing by 12 percent.
  Let's work toward actually lowering college costs, not dumping 
hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars on well-off college graduates 
to make the problem worse.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.J. Res. 
45, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Kamlager-Dove).
  Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn Republicans' 
attack on education. They want to ban teachers, books, and the 
opportunity to learn history, and now, they want to ban relief for 
students.
  This resolution would block President Biden's debt forgiveness plan, 
forcing everyone who took advantage of the pause in payments to pay 
interest on every payment missed.
  In addition, this plan would hit our valuable public servants the 
hardest--those who took advantage of the Public Service Loan 
Forgiveness Program, like nurses, firefighters, law enforcement, and 
childcare providers.
  If you want some real truth, Mr. Speaker, let's not get it twisted. 
PPP was not a grant, yet some of my Republican colleagues literally 
received millions in PPP loans. I don't see anyone rushing to pay those 
back. Talk about unfair; the American people are paying those bills 
that they didn't incur.
  No, Republicans don't want to forgive anyone or anything except 
themselves, and the American people deserve forgiveness.
  This legislation will harm low- and middle-income families, including 
20.6 million of Republicans' own constituents, but they won't say that.
  American people, if you don't know, now you know.

[[Page H2570]]

  Let's enact legislation that encourages affordable education and 
economic mobility so that the American people can learn and earn.
  Republicans, please get out of your and my constituents' way.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask for a ``no'' vote on this.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley).
  Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of burdened 
borrowers throughout the Massachusetts Seventh Congressional District 
and borrowers everywhere.
  I rise today on behalf of the third grade teacher who spent a decade 
in the classroom, month by month making their student loan payments; on 
behalf of the mother juggling three part-time jobs, trying her best to 
stretch her paycheck to cover rent and to pay down her student debt; 
and for the one in four Black borrowers who will have their student 
loans fully canceled under President Biden's historic plan.
  You see, Mr. Speaker, student debt cancellation can and will change 
and save lives. This isn't hyperbole. It is reality.
  A diverse coalition of voters came together to press for 
cancellation, critical payment pauses, and updates to the essential 
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
  Under this cruel measure, 260,000 public service workers could see 
their debt reinstated--nurses, educators, firefighters, and military 
servicemembers.

  Let me make it plain: The President has the legal authority to cancel 
student debt.
  Let me say this. I took out loans, and I paid off those loans. It 
took me 20-plus years while being a caregiver to my mother and while 
working three jobs sometimes. I took out those loans, and I paid them 
off, but I want an easier road for the next person.
  The cost of higher education has increased by 150 percent, so I do 
not call it student debt forgiveness because borrowers have done 
nothing wrong. They don't need to be forgiven anything, but they are 
deserving of and do need relief.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Flood). The time of the gentlewoman has 
expired.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds 
to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts.
  Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, to anyone who seeks to mislead the public 
and to use the court's harmful measures to gut essential relief, take a 
seat. The people deserve and demand this relief.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close whenever the gentleman 
from Virginia is prepared, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I 
yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, there are many challenges we have in higher education 
that demand our attention: the rising costs of higher education, the 
student debt crisis, the eroded value of the Pell grant, and mental 
health issues. The list goes on.
  Instead of addressing these challenges, we are trying to force 
through a resolution that hurts tens of millions of student borrowers 
and their families, an average of almost 100,000 in each of our 
districts.
  Many of my colleagues on the other side have justified this 
resolution by arguing that we can't afford it, but it is just a matter 
of priorities.
  Congressional Republicans are willing to charge taxpayers more than 
twice as much for a tax package where 80 percent of the benefits were 
scheduled to go to the top 1 percent and corporations, but now they are 
unwilling to invest half that amount to help student borrowers pay for 
their education.
  We should be passing proposals that meaningfully support borrowers 
and make college more affordable for current and future borrowers.
  The bottom line is that it is our responsibility to strengthen the 
support for those seeking a college degree because those who want a 
college degree should be able to access that opportunity. That 
opportunity should not be reserved for just the wealthy few.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose H.J. Res. 45, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
close.
  Mr. Speaker, we all know that access to college is available to every 
single person in this country. It is not a matter of access. It is a 
matter of who is paying back their loans.
  Coupled with the permanent repayment pause, expansive new 
regulations, and a radical new income-driven repayment plan, the Biden 
administration's student loan scam could end up costing taxpayers $1 
trillion. That is more than the Federal Government has ever spent on 
postsecondary education.
  The Biden administration's policies do nothing to solve the root 
issues of student debt. If this bailout moves forward, then outstanding 
student debt will return to current levels in just over 5 years. We 
will be right back here again.
  The Federal student loan system is broken, and real reform is needed. 
Simply put, the administration's action will mean that future students 
will come to expect their loans will be canceled, and colleges will 
continue to increase already skyrocketing tuition because they know 
Democrats will leave taxpayers to foot the bill.
  We need to hold colleges accountable for charging outrageous prices 
for degrees with no value. We need a student loan program that has the 
best interests of students and taxpayers in mind.
  As the institution that holds the power of the purse, Congress has 
the responsibility to protect the interest of taxpayers. A vote in 
support of today's resolution will do just that.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.J. Res. 
45, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 45 a 
Congressional Review Act resolution that would overturn the pause on 
federal student loan payments and block President Biden's student debt 
relief plan.
  This CRA resolution would abruptly force tens of millions of 
borrowers into unplanned repayment and lead to thousands of dollars in 
payments and interest being added back onto their loans. In the 
aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with global inflation, 
overturning the payment pause would prove disastrous for borrowers at a 
time when they can least afford it.
   According to the Student Borrower Protection Center*, more than 43 
million borrowers continue to suffer under the crushing weight of $1.6 
trillion of federal student debt. In Minnesota alone, the pause on 
student loan repayments saved 641,004 borrowers $495 million. Thanks to 
the pause, borrowers around the country have been able to accomplish 
things that had previously been beyond reach-such as saving for 
retirement, affording necessary medication, or simply having some 
breathing room to make ends meet.
   Additionally, overturning the payment pause would impact the over 
156,000 public service workers nationwide who received student debt 
cancellation through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. These 
nurses, educators, first responders, and other public servants could 
see their loans reinstated if these CRA efforts are realized.
  Not only would this CRA resolution have a disastrous impact on 
borrowers in the here and now, it would also preclude the government 
from installing a repayment pause for borrowers in the future. We 
cannot know what lies ahead, and we must be able to react and provide 
borrowers with options should our country endure another pandemic, 
economic downturn, or other catastrophic event.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this 
resolution, which threatens the financial well-being of millions of 
Americans, including more than 260,000 hardworking public servants who 
have achieved or are working to achieve student loan relief under the 
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
  In 2007, I authored the PSLF program to help relieve the burden of 
student loan debt for public servants who contribute so much to our 
communities but often receive far less pay and fewer benefits than 
their private sector counterparts.
  Under PSLF, these individuals--teachers, first responders, community 
health and social workers, service members and more--are eligible for 
forgiveness of their remaining federal student loan balances after 
completing 10 years of public service and making 120 qualifying 
payments on their loans.
  I am pleased that the Biden Administration has made changes to 
strengthen PSLF and other student loan programs.
  Unfortunately, the resolution before us today would reverse that 
progress, causing significant confusion and financial stress for these 
individuals.

[[Page H2571]]

  By rolling back recent regulations, this resolution could put 
millions of Americans in financial jeopardy, forcing them to make 
payments on loans they had been told were on pause. It would also delay 
PSLF borrowers from getting their forgiveness and turn back the clock 
on those who received loan forgiveness during the payment pause.
  This is not only confusing--it is just wrong. Rather than renege on 
the promise we made to these individuals, we must do everything we can 
to strengthen PSLF to give public service workers the relief they have 
earned.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 429, the 
previous question is ordered on the joint resolution.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the joint 
resolution.
  The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed and read a third 
time, and was read the third time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on passage of the joint 
resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

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