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Date: 7/14/2021
SPRINGFIELD – Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked the approximately 100 people who attended a question and answer program on July 9 to contact their elected representatives and the White House to urge President Joe Biden to support an executive order cancelling part of student loan debt.
Responding to a question posed by Prof. Rebecca Townsend of Longmeadow, Warren said to the audience, “I need your help in this. Biden can cancel student loan debt with a stroke of a pen.”
Warren added, “This debt is crushing million of young people … it’s dragging back people individually and it’s dragging back our country.”
Biden could cancel $50,000 of a person’s student loan debt with an executive order, the senator said. She quoted statics to show the wealth gap between white Americans and Americans of color is exacerbated by student loan debt. Students of color tend to take out larger loan amounts for a college education.
She said a study showed that 20 years after college white Americans still have 5 percent of their loan amount to be paid, but Americans of color have 95 percent still left.
Cancelling $50,000 of student loan debt would decrease the wealth gap between Americans, she added.
Warren was in Springfield for one of her annual appearances to speak about the issues on which she is working, to listen to constituents and to pose for photos with attendees.
There was a security presence at the event with a officer from Homeland Security going around the lobby of 1550 Main St. with a trained security dog where the senator’s Western Massachusetts office is located. Other federal officers watched the event from the building second floor balcony.
In response to another question concerning the extension of the CDC moratorium on foreclosures and eviction, Warren said she is working on the federal level for such an extensions and urged her audience to see such protections continued on the state level. “Local representatives can build a better safety net,” she said.
State Reps. Carlos Gonzalez, Brian Ashe, Jake Olivera and Bud Williams as well as state Senators Adam Gomez and John Velis, who attended the event, heard that message.
On the subject of adding justices to the Supreme Court, another question posed by a constituent, Warren said there are multiple proposals “being kicked around.” She noted that some of the suggestions have included adding more justices to the court, eliminating the life terms justices can serve and creating a pool of applicants from which justices could be nominated.
Warren said Biden has started a commission to address the subject and she added she would like to see the court “de-politicized.”
The senator took time with that answer to bring up her opposition to the filibuster. She said the Founding Fathers thought a super majority was necessary for impeachment of a president and for the ratification of treaties, but not for the other operations of Congress.
“Under the Constitution, there is no measure that allows [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell to block everything,” she said.
She asserted Republicans have seen tax cuts and judge appointments go through, Democrats have not been allowed to pass legislation about childcare, immigration and protecting the vote.
Warren said one of her current priorities is Bill S1/HR1, which would be a voting protection act. The bills would block the state’s effort to block voting as some states have done. The bill would call for a paper ballot, which would make auditing an election easier and would end gerrymandering, which has been used in the past to redraw the boundaries of a district for political purposes. She said the bill would “drive out of the influence of dark money.”
In his introduction, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno spoke of the senator’s interest in reforming childcare and her effort to modify student loan amounts.
Warren said, “It’s time for universal childcare in America.” She described the present system of childcare as “built on the backs of woman, who are underpaid and who are primarily black and brown women.”
She added the current system “is not working for employers, parents or kids.”