Ilhan Omar Profile picture
17 Feb, 11 tweets, 4 min read
As a young immigrant, I took out thousands of dollars in debt to go to for-profit college—thinking it was part of the American Dream.

Like millions of Americans, I was left deeply in debt with a worthless degree and shoddy education. #CancelStudentDebt
I was fortunate enough to eventually go to a public university and begin to pay it off, but millions do not have that luxury.

Here are some misconceptions about who has debt and why we need full cancellation.
Is this really a crisis?

Yes! Student debt has more than doubled in just 10 years. 45 million Americans now are saddled with over $1.7 trillion in debt—and the delinquency rates have nearly doubled. educationdata.org/student-loan-d…
Isn’t it already cancelled during the pandemic?

Student loan interest is on hold during the pandemic—but the debt is not forgiven. That means millions will owe thousands of dollars in backpay if that debt isn’t relieved. nerdwallet.com/article/loans/…
Does President Biden have the authority to end the crisis?

Yes! The federal government owns 92% of the $1.7 trillion in student debt. Biden can forgive it with the stroke of a pen.
Is student debt a rich kid problem?

No! 40% of people with student loan debt don’t even have a college degree. These have been some of the hardest-hit families during the pandemic and are *3 times* more likely to default.
Does student debt relief only help elite college students?

No. The average public university student borrows *$30,030* to get a bachelor’s degree. Only 17% of for-profit college attendees graduate without debt. brookings.edu/policy2020/vot…
Will student debt relief only help white families?

The opposite. Black graduates average $25,000 more in student loan debt than white college graduates. In fact, the majority of black borrowers owe more in debt than their entire net worth. educationdata.org/student-loan-d…
Is this generational warfare?

No. Parents are increasingly saddled with debt too. The amount of debt taken out by parents has tripled in the past 25 years. insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/2…
What if I had to pay off my debt?

Before Social Security, seniors were destitute. Before SNAP, food insecurity was rampant. In other words, past harms should not be an excuse for inaction.

We want a world where future generations are not held back because of crushing debt.
What about future students? What about early education?

Student debt relief is one component of a moral society. We also need to make college tuition-free so debt is not accumulated moving forward and invest in universal early education. These are not at odds!

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More from @IlhanMN

5 Feb
Often, the work you’re most excited get upstaged chaos and noise in Washington, so wanted to highlight some of our big efforts this week (Thread).
Yesterday, @chuckschumer, @ewarren, @ayannapressley, @mondairejones, @AlmaforCongress and I called on President Biden to cancel $50k in student debt per student.
minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/5268963-…
The administration has now said they support cancellation and are looking at executive action!
Read 8 tweets
26 Jan
As progressives, it is easy to become jaded about the possibility of meaningful change.

The fight for a more democratic America is far from over, but in just the first week, the Biden Administration has acted on many of progressives’ top asks. (Thread)
nbcnews.com/politics/2020-…
Here are just a few of the policies the Administration put in place in the first week:

✅ An interagency fight to root out systemic racism
✅ Rescinding the ban on diversity and inclusion training
✅ A ban on federal contracts with private prisons
cnbc.com/2021/01/26/bid…
On climate, the Biden team:
✅ Revoked the Keystone XL pipeline permit
✅ Put a moratorium on oil and natural gas leases
✅ Reentered the Paris Climate Agreement
✅ Reinstated vehicle emissions standards
cnn.com/2021/01/20/bus…
Read 11 tweets
19 Jan
This man is a monster. We should never forget the millions who have suffered because of his cruelty.

A brief thread on some of his victims.
Pompeo lobbied for and imposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian people—depriving them of much-needed medical supplies during a pandemic and killing thousands.
The other result? Iran now has 12 times more enriched uranium than allowed and the Iranian regime is more powerful than ever. Great going, Mike! bbc.com/news/world-mid…
Read 16 tweets
14 Jan
Our republic did not arrive overnight. It was cultivated over centuries.


It took dedicated organizers and movements to help craft the multiracial democracy we have today.
It took a women’s movement, a labor movement, a Civil Rights movement, and a literal civil war to quash a violent white supremacist insurrection and extend basic rights to the vast majority of the population. That work is far from over!
Our republic is like a living, breathing organism. It requires attention and growth to meet the needs of its population. 

And just as it can be strengthened, it can be corrupted, weakened and destroyed.
Read 8 tweets
17 Dec 20
Wal Mart's Walton Family have pocketed $48 billion since March.
They recently stopped paying hazard pay.

Jeff Bezos has made $90 billion.
2,000 of his workers have been infected with COVID.

Meanwhile, millions of out of work Americans have not gotten any support since March.
For almost a year now, people have watched as their families members die, jobs are lost, rent is missed, food is scarce.

And they continue to get negotiated out of relief packages.

This is a systematic failure.
The best we can come up with is an additional $600?

Our constituents aren’t sitting at home thinking, “Well this the best they could have done with the GOP Senate.”

No, they’re IN FOOD LINES STARVING and wondering when their government will look out for them.
Read 4 tweets
20 Nov 20
This administration has cozied up to the most brutal dictators in the world—damaging our alliances and image in the world.

Here are my thoughts on how deep the damage is and how Biden can repair it. (Thread) thenation.com/article/world/…
Trump began his presidency by backing out of the Iran nuclear deal, imposing crippling sanctions on the people of Iran, and further empowering the brutal regime there, and risking a nuclear conflict.
Iran now has 12 times more enriched uranium than would have been permitted under the agreement.
Read 12 tweets

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