Warnock presses Biden for more student relief
Also in today’s edition of Swing State Georgia:
Kemp lawyers fight subpoena in Trump probe.
How Stacey Abrams became a millionaire.
Herschel sends mixed messages on minority-owned businesses.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock has cut a slightly different path than some other Democrats running for reelection in this midterm election year.
Asked about supporting another term for President Joe Biden, Warnock has danced around a direct answer, saying that he's focused more on his own election than another Biden run.
And Warnock's reaction to Biden's new student loan forgiveness program was no different - as he called for the President to do even more.
"This is only a first step for the countless Georgia borrowers who will still be burdened by crushing debt tomorrow, and the day after that," Warnock said.
The Biden plan would wipe out between $10,000 and $20,000 of federal student debt for borrowers, depending on their income and debts.
“I’m going to keep fighting for additional student relief,” Warnock added, again trying to portray himself as the Democrat who is keeping the heat on Biden to be more aggressive on policy matters.
While Warnock has sometimes kept Biden at an arm’s length, Stacey Abrams has sought to embrace Biden at almost every turn. And that was true on student loans as well.
During a stop in Camilla, Abrams called out those who were grumbling.
“And for everyone of those who are complaining, where were you when Brian Kemp gave a tax cut to billionaires and millionaires?” Abrams said, her voice rising. “If they can have $10,000, so can our young people trying to get on their feet.”
On the GOP side, Republicans argue the President’s decision will also raise taxes on people who never went to college, while failing to curb rising higher education costs.
Senate candidate Herschel Walker hit multiple points in a statement late Wednesday, asking what the plan meant for those who worked or dipped deep into their life savings to pay their college bills.
“We should absolutely work to make college more affordable but Warnock’s plan does nothing to do that. Instead, he wants to raise taxes on hard-working Georgians and push inflation even higher than he already has.”
Rich McCormick, the GOP nominee in Georgia’s 6th District, said in a statement that students who want the government to pay for their college education need to sign up for the military like he did.
Swing State's paid subscribers receive text alerts from our reporting team. See below for how to sign up.KEMP-TRUMP. A Fulton County judge today will hear arguments about whether Gov. Brian Kemp should be compelled to testify before the special purpose grand jury examining potential criminal interference in Georgia’s 2020 elections, the AJC’s Tamar Hallerman reports this morning.
It’s the latest in the escalating back-and-forth between Kemp and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Swing State Georgia to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.