Thread by @harrisonjaime

🧵: When you & your kin have never had to worry about the FAFSA; college funds running out; pell/perkins $ coming in so as to buy books & food; the diff between subsidized/unsubsidized; finding a decent work study job & then starting life w/ 150k of debt, then you write this 👇🏾

https://twitter.com/mittromney/status/1519363291553931272

For many, college is the gateway to break the cycle of poverty that entraps their family. I am a 1st-gen college grad. The first day I visited campus was the 1st day I enrolled. We couldn’t afford college visits- many can’t. I didn’t know what to expect & neither did my family.

On top of the demands & rigor of coursework, many students have financial anxiety. My first year, I was on the verge of having Thanksgiving alone in my dorm, but our Asst Bursar Alberta Deas heard about it & gave me a special loan to get a train ticket to SC to be with my family.

Like me, many students struggle with the demands of course work, work study jobs & the financial challenges of home.

Nonetheless,
many persist & navigate, but in the end face additional anxiety with insurmountable amounts of student debt.

The numbers are staggering!

Investopedia states “1/3 of all American students now have to go into debt to get through college… and [c]ollectively, they owe about $1.75 trillion.”

investopedia.com/student-loan-d…

In no other country are young people anchored with such a immense burden to launch their lives. The debt impacts their decisions: from careers to housing to starting a family. Payments to Sallie Mae dominate the thinking of all young people. And now, we hear this from the GOP…

The American People are always investing in businesses and other countries… and folks like Senator Romney have always been able to thrive & benefit because of it. But isn’t it time to invest in our greatest asset… our people?! An educated workforce makes America stronger.

It is amazing! Republicans are always at the ready to provide huge tax cuts to their wealthy donors who don’t need them.

They don’t blink an eye for trillion $ bailouts for businesses & industries from fin services to oil/gas, but student debt relief is a “bribe.”

Students who are not burden by massive debt can invest in their families and other facets of our economy.

Student debt relief is not a bailout … Trump’s tax cuts to Mitt’s friends was.. but debt relief on student loans is an investment that is long overdue.

I’m fortunate that I’ve had opportunities and jobs to help pay off the vast majority of my student debt, but there are folks in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s who are still struggling. We must find a path forward & alleviate this burden!

I’m proud that Democrats are leading this effort and many others to provide student debt relief, bring down costs, but most importantly invest in the American people.

#DemocratsDeliver