Apr 25, 2022 3 min read

Many people successful in their life’s pursuit are where they are today because of educational opportunities afforded by federal student loans or grants.

Those former students should be forever grateful for having had the opportunity to grow up in a free nation with abundant financial resources – abundant financial resources that enabled them to get a college or university degree without first having to provide much, if any, upfront tuition money.

Now, rather than dwelling on the hope that their loans someday might be forgiven, for whatever reason, former loan recipients now earning a paycheck should feel a sense of patriotic duty and obligation about someday paying off in full their education indebtedness.

Still, it is human nature for former students to hope that the government might someday opt to forgive their loan or loans, thus freeing them from indebtedness destined to last for years, perhaps decades, depending on students’ areas of study.

Student-loan relief has been a very visible subject of discussion and debate for years. The subject has been at the forefront especially on the political campaign trails.

That said, it is correct to assume that the topic will hold a formidable place during campaigning leading up to November’s mid-term election and during the 2024 presidential race.

Without doubt, it is the kind of issue that should be a campaign topic.

Yet, families who sent their sons and daughters to college without ever having had the benefit of loan forgiveness might be inclined to oppose a free ride – full or partial – for others.

Also, many former students and their families embrace the thinking that having to pay for something such as a college education promotes greater appreciation of it.

Such thinking should be acknowledged by the White House and Congress during consideration of the student-loan-relief issue.

Many Americans already have cemented their opinions regarding the topic; what they should be doing now is sharing their opinions with their representatives in Washington.

Last Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal delved into the student-loan repayment issue, reporting that the Biden administration wants to make it easier for lower-income student-loan borrowers to get debt forgiveness through an existing program that has enrolled millions of people, but which has provided few with relief.

The move, announced by the Education Department, reportedly will attempt to more broadly overhaul how the student-loan repayment system works, the article said, noting that President Joe Biden earlier this month extended to Aug. 31 a pandemic-related pause on payments of federal student loans.

According to the article, changes being advocated by the administration would enable about 3.6 million people – nearly 10% of all student-loan borrowers – to receive at least three years of credit toward eventual debt forgiveness.

Borrowers and members of both parties in Congress have criticized the program in question as being broken, because of the few students it actually has helped since the beginning of its existence in 1992.

“Student-loan relief plan aims to expand eligibility” was the headline over last Wednesday’s Journal article.

It is premature to judge whether that is a good idea. It also is premature to speculate about whether the president’s idea will in fact ever become reality, because of Congress’ divisiveness.