'Cruelty seems to be the point': James Clyburn hammers Republicans over student debt

United States Representative and Assistant House Democratic Leader James Clyburn of South Carolina tore into Republican lawmakers on Wednesday for tirelessly working to kill President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness initiative and saddle borrowers with even greater debt.

CNN noted that Biden will veto the bill should it make it through the Democratically-controlled Senate, where "nearly all of the 49 Republican senators have signed on as sponsors."

Shortly before the vote on House Joint Resolution 45, condemned right-wing efforts to keep people indebted.

READ MORE: House GOP rebuked for 'cruel and reckless' ploy to reverse student debt relief

"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 burials with ninety 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 sixty-seven percent are Pell Grant recipients. Over 48,000 borrows in my district alone have been fully approved for relief," Clyburn said.

"If enacted, House Joint Resolution 45 will rescind life-changing relief for hardworking borrowers, reneg on payment pause by forcing them to pay several months of installations of installments with interest, and claw back earned credit from public service toward the public service law and forgiveness program. For a minute, this will mean thousands of dollars in payments be below to no notice," Clyburn continued. "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. Borrows deserve our 'Yep,' and I urge my colleagues to vote down this resolution."

HJR 45 passed with the support of a unanimous GOP caucus and two Democrats — Congresspersons Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.

Watch Clyburn below or at this link.

READ MORE: 'Categorically false': New report dismantles Republicans’ argument against student debt relief