Rebroadcast: What if we canceled student loan debt?

Late last year, President Joe Biden once again extended the pandemic pause on federal student loan payments — this time until May 1.

And just last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would expand the number of borrowers who are eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. That means that $6 billion of student loans will be canceled under the program.

The pause on student loan payments has reignited the debate on what to do about student loans. Student loan borrowers in the U.S. owe $1.7 trillion in federal and private loans. Some advocates and lawmakers are calling for Biden to forgive $50,000 per person, and others are advocating that student loans be forgiven altogether. 

We listen back to a conversation MPR News host Angela Davis had in January 2022 with two researchers about the debate on student loan debt and whether canceling debt is the best way to address the student debt crisis. 

Guests: 

• Jalil Mustaffa Bishop is an assistant professor at Villanova University in Villanova, Pa. He researches how student loan debt affects Black borrowers. 

• Jason Delisle is a senior policy fellow at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. He studies higher education finance and student debt.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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