Kamlager-Dove Remarks Celebrating President Biden's Continued Action to Cancel Student Debt
LOS ANGELES - Yesterday, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) joined President Joe Biden, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Culver City Mayor Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, and other elected officials in Culver City ahead of the President's announcement that the Administration would cancel $1.2 billion in student loan debt for borrowers. Below is a transcript of her remarks as prepared.
To watch the press conference, click here.
"Hello everyone, and good afternoon!
"I am so thrilled to be here, and excited to join President Biden as he announces new measures to tackle the pressing financial crisis that is student loan debt. Mr. President, thank you, and welcome to the 37th Congressional District!
"We must address the student loan crisis. Just last night, I heard from students who were talking about the high cost of education in this state. They want to know if their government is listening to them. President Biden is here. He’s been listening, and he’s acting. He is a good man who knows what it means to keep your word. Our President made promises to our students that he wouldn’t forget them. He is keeping those promises, despite obstruction from the courts and lawsuits designed to further saddle our students in debt, and in opposition to the false premise that students don’t deserve help.
"People who are burdened with student loan debt can’t find their financial footing. You know, before I came to Congress, I served on the LA Community College Board. I met students from across this county who were able to find success because they could afford their college education. We adjusted the financial structure, and by opening these pathways, we found that thousands of students - all ages, all ethnicities, and all zip codes - were able to successfully graduate, find jobs, and create businesses without crushing debt.
"This is what the American dream is all about, and this is exactly what the President is advocating for. When people are financially insecure, they are unable to feel when the economy is good. Our economy is stronger than ever, but that is hard to notice when you’re in the quicksand of student loan debt. We told a generation of young people that if you have a college degree, you will live a life without worrying where your next meal will come from. That same generation can’t save for a home, can’t start a family, can’t financially dream - all because they made choices they were asked to make.
"And student loan debt disproportionately hurts people of color. Black college graduates have, on average, $25,000 more in student debt than white college graduates. This is evidence of something we all already knew: that the cost of success is higher if you’re Black. Combating this disparity must be part of the conversations we have around student debt, just like it is around wealth creation. And President Biden gets it.
"Our world is also getting more connected. College campuses are where ideas are exchanged and global citizenry finds roots. Campuses are where the seeds of diplomacy are planted. We are lucky to have a President that understands the outsized role education plays in so many aspects of our lives and security. By addressing student loan debt, he is opening a new college door that a student thought they couldn’t afford to go through.
"The Biden Administration has dedicated nearly $10 billion to canceling or lowering student loan debt for those who need it—and the SAVE Program has made a monumental difference for people who have seen their monthly payment reduced all the way to $0. More than half of Californians with student loans are under the age of 35, and the President’s action means that young people across our state have help in dealing with what can otherwise be a life-long burden. While Republicans are continually distracting us with culture-war extremism targeted at the classroom and the library, Democrats are laser-focused on fighting to protect education, to make it more affordable, and to helping the American people.
"President Biden understands the gravity of his position and this moment, and he is committed to all of us, especially our students and young people. He is working around the mayhem because that is what a leader does. As my 16-year-old starts preparing for his college journey, I can tell him that President Biden found a way to allow him to afford to dream an education without debt."
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