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Joe Biden was warned by the Treasury Secretary and his wife not to cancel student debt, but pressed ahead regardless on the urging of Kamala Harris, it has been claimed.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen argued that with inflation around a 40-year high, the cancellation of student loans could free up consumer spending and drive inflation higher, the New York Times reported.
Jill Biden, who works part-time as a college lecturer, also urged her husband to reconsider. She campaigned on free community college, but did not push for the cancellation of debt.
The president ultimately chose to ignore their advice – after being cajoled on the subject by Vice President Kamala Harris, who was in favor of loan cancelations.
Mike Donilon, one of Biden’s closest political advisers, told him polling showed Americans were split on the issue.
Yet Ron Klain, his chief of staff, said it could be a popular move with younger voters, heading into the midterms.
One of the most ‘persistent’ supporters of debt relief was the vice president, Kamala Harris.
In February she tasked her team with creating a memo detailing Biden’s concerns about debt relief and countering them one by one, The New York Times said.