Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), one of Capitol Hill’s leading voices on student loan forgiveness, owes the Department of Education up to $50,000 in student loans, according to the New Yorker’s recent financial disclosure.
The filing, which was reviewed by the Washington Examiner, documented that the congresswoman owed the department between $15,000 and $50,000 for her student loans as of 2022. That same year, Ocasio-Cortez led the call for the Biden administration to cancel thousands of dollars in loans for each student.
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“Now would be a great time to cancel student loan debt, take significant climate action, and pass voting rights,” Ocasio-Cortez posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in May 2022 in response to a Marist poll that showed President Joe Biden had a low approval rating among young adults.
Ocasio-Cortez’s student loan debt was already known, as the congresswoman’s 2021 financial disclosure showed her holding up to $50,000 in liability.
Biden revealed his student loan forgiveness plan in August 2022 to forgive up to $20,000 worth of student loan debt for borrowers who make under $125,000 a year individually or $250,000 for married couples. Members of Congress earn an annual salary of $174,000. Although Ocasio-Cortez celebrated the plan, she called for more forgiveness for people who owed even more debt.
“It was YOUR pushing, YOUR pressure, YOUR organizing that got them to this point,” Ocasio-Cortez posted on Instagram. “I am very grateful for this watershed moment of a first step — it is so encouraging, thrilling, and has already changed SO many people’s lives. But I am also thinking about how this still leaves a question mark for those in the highest amounts of debt, who need the most amount of help. So let’s celebrate and keep going.”
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Fellow “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is among those who owe money, with Tlaib owing more than $100,000 to the Department of Education for her law degree. Tlaib pushed for the Biden administration to forgive at least $50,000 in student loan debt for individual borrowers last year.
“I will continue to push for education debt cancellation of $50K or more, and I know many people out on the streets will do the same,” Tlaib posted on X last August. “This is not the end, this is just the beginning when it comes to bringing opportunity and equity to all.”
