Former top Pence aide: Forgiving student loan debt an ‘asinine policy’

Marc Short, who served as chief of staff under former Vice President Mike Pence, on Sunday said talks to cancel student loan debt were “asinine,” and wouldn’t assist low-income Americans.

Short said during a roundtable discussion on “Fox News Sunday” that canceling student loan debt would subsidize wealthier Americans, instead of blue-collar workers, with taxpayer dollars.

“The reality is today, 56 percent of all student loan debt is owned by people with graduate degrees,” Short said. “So what the Biden administration is going to say for the people is — for blue-collar workers across our country, who never had the opportunity to go to college — ‘We’re going to take your taxpayer dollars and subsidize lawyers, bankers, and people with graduate degrees, doctors across our country.’ “

The Hill reported last week that President Biden was considering canceling $10,000 in student loan debt for each borrower.

The consideration falls short of more progressive calls in the Democratic Party to cancel $50,000 in debt for each borrower. Progressives like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) argue that canceling the debt would alleviate a huge financial burden for many struggling Americans during an unprecedented economic crisis.

Conservatives, meanwhile, have argued canceling the debt would cost the government and taxpayers a great amount of money and that students willingly took on the loan debt, similar to when Americans purchase a new car or a house.

On “Fox News Sunday,” Short said the idea to forgive student loan debt simply “makes no sense.”

“It’s an entirely regressive policy. There’s nothing progressive about it,” he added.