The White House attempted on Monday to clean up President Biden’s false claim that his student loan bailout was passed by Congress, telling Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich he was referring to the Inflation Reduction Act.
According to the statement, the IRA “reduced the deficit by [billions] of dollars, creating room for other crucial programs.”
“As you know, no Republicans voted for the Inflation Reduction Act in the House or the Senate, where it passed by a single tie-breaking vote by Vice President Harris,” the statement added.
* WH official clarified that they meant to say “billions”, not “millions” in the statement
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) October 24, 2022
The full quote surrounding Biden’s comment that he “got it passed by a vote or two” makes it clear, however, that he was referring to the student loan “cancellation.”
"I’ve just signed a law that’s being challenged by my Republican colleagues, they’re the same people who got PPP [Paycheck Protection Program] loans — in some cases up to five, six hundred thousand dollars — they have no problem with that, the individuals in Congress got those,” he said during a NowThis ‘Make Your Mark’ forum. “But what we’ve provided for is if you went to school if you qualify for a Pell Grant . . . you qualify for $20,000 in debt forgiveness. Secondly, if you don't have one of those loans, you just get $10,000 written off. It’s passed. I got it passed by a vote or two, and it’s in effect."
Here is the full clip for all you clowns who say it’s out of context. Biden first falsely claims he “signed a law” to cancel student loan debt, then says he “got it passed by a vote or two.”
— Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) October 24, 2022
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Despite a federal appeals court temporarily blocking implementation of the program following a challenge from six GOP-led states, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the administration is "moving full speed ahead."