In a combative press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Joe Biden for his scheme to pause federal student loan payments. Leavitt cited the massive federal deficit and basic common sense to justify resuming the payments in a confident announcement.
For context, during his term in office, Joe Biden extended the pause on federal student loan repayments, continuing a pandemic-era program started by President Trump. The pause, which was supposed to be temporary, suspended federal student loan payments, set interest rates to 0%, and halted collections on defaulted loans.
In any case, Leavitt began her April 22, 2025, remarks by savaging the previous administration. She said, “In other news, the Trump administration has announced we will put an end to Joe Biden’s illegal student loan bailout attempts. No student loan has been referred to collections since March of 2020. That comes to an end on May 5, the Department of Education will resume involuntary collections for borrowers with defaulted federal student loans.”
Building on this point, she explained the scope of Biden’s waste. She declared, “The student loan portfolio controlled by the federal government is nearly $1.6 trillion, but fewer than four out of 10 borrowers are in repayment. This is unsustainable, unfair, and a huge liability for American taxpayers. Debt cannot be wiped away. It just ends up getting transferred to others.”
Emphasizing her point with a poignant question, she asked, “So why should Americans who didn’t go to college or went to college and responsibly paid back their loans, pay for the student loans of other Americans? The Trump administration will never force taxpayers to pay student loan debts that don’t belong to them.”
Continuing her all-out attack on the Democrat narrative, Leavitt explained that a decision needed to be made. The SPOX confidently announced, “Student loan borrowers need clarity, and we’re finally giving it to them. Borrowers will now be clearly expected to repay their loans, and those who default on their loan obligations will face involuntary collections.”
Wrapping up her remarks, Karoline Leavitt explained why this change is vital. She said, “The government can and will collect defaulted federal student loan debt by withholding money from borrowers, tax refunds, federal pensions, and even their wages. America is $36 trillion in debt. We must get our fiscal house in order and restore common sense to our country; if you take out a loan, you have to pay it back. It’s very simple.”
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In the comments under her remarks, conservatives piled in to support her arguments. One such comment said, “As it should be. My kids didn’t go to college, so I’m sure not going to pay for all these others to go with my tax dollars or theirs. They chose a career that require a degree so they wouldn’t go into debt. The entitlement here is unreal. You should only go to college if a specific career requires it. It is the school system and any regular job that requires stupid degrees you should be mad at not the government who loaned you the money. Nothing is free…Make better choices.”
Featured image from embedded video