Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) added his voice to those protesting that the U.S. Congress is failing in its duty to not allow President Joe Biden to rule through executive order.
Despite clear constitutional principles establishing that the power of the purse strings belongs to Congress, the White House again has extended the student loan pause.
Further, a president who recently declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be “over” once again used an emergency measure to extend the administration’s handout to those who chose to finance their college education.
Donalds in no uncertain terms asserted in a recent interview that Congress must do its constitutional duty. This includes “unwind(ing) a lot of these presidential emergencies that are created by executive order.”
Biden's perpetual "pause" of student loan payments puts taxpayers on the hook for billions.
And those who didn't go to college will be hardest hit.
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) November 23, 2022
The Florida representative clearly stated that Biden will do what Congress allows him to and called it “outrageous.” As he said, the constitutional concept of balance of power means the House must “reassert our authority in the federal bureaucracy” and rein in the executive branch.
The moratorium on student loan payments during the height of the coronavirus lockdowns was at least debatable due to the government’s own actions.
However, the justification for that action has long since ended, and the only logical basis now is vote-buying. Georgia still has an important Senate runoff to settle.
The result is a massive gift the country cannot afford to those who can afford it most.
Biden’s extension carries forward to as late as September of next year, and as the Committee for a Responsible Government notes, it is “costly, inflationary, regressive, and financially unjustified.” The watchdog estimates the latest giveaway to cost taxpayers $40 billion.
The total price tag of the never-ending pause, with the latest White House action, reached a staggering $195 billion.
Besides Rep. Donalds and like-minded Republicans, people who never attended college or faithfully repaid their loans should also be up in arms. It’s those who can afford it most, who average more income over their lifetimes for having a college degree who benefit.
That’s the textbook definition of a regressive tax.
