White House calls out Republicans who had PPP loans forgiven after student loan criticism
The White House Twitter account named and shamed Republican lawmakers Thursday evening who criticized President Joe Biden‘s student loan plan, but took government handouts by having Paycheck Protection Program loans forgiven.
‘Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had $183,504 in PPP loans forgiven,’ the White House said, highlighting a Newsmax clip of the Georgia Republican complaining it was ‘completely unfair’ the taxpayers were shouldering ‘great big student loan debt for some college student that piled up massive debt going to some Ivy League school.’
During Wednesday’s press briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had pointed to the PPP program, which got its start under former President Donald Trump, and noted that Republicans weren’t upset about government assistance then.
The White House Twitter account named and shamed Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (pictured), in a Twitter thread Thursday evening – pointing out that they took government handouts before criticizing student loan forgiveness
Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz had gone after the administration, not for student loans, but for spending another $3 billion on a new defense package for Ukraine
The White House Twitter account also called out GOP Reps. Vern Buchanan, Markwayne Mullin, Kevin Hern, Mike Kelly and Matt Gaetz.
Instead of student loans, Gaetz was critical of the White House sending another $3 billion in aid to Ukraine, to bolster the country’s forces against Russia’s invasion.
The Florida congressman had ‘$482,321 in PPP loans forgiven,’ the White House said.
Kelly, a Pennsylvania Republican, had nearly $1 million in PPP loans forgiven – $987,237 – and had tweeted, ‘Asking plumbers and carpenters to pay off the loans of Wall Street advisors and lawyers isn’t just unfair. It’s also bad policy.’
He had shared a Fox News article headlined: ‘Biden announces student loan handout as national debt soars.’
Hern, Mullin and Buchanan each had more than $1 million in PPP loans forgiven – with Buchanan’s amount topping more than $2.3 million.
‘We do not need farmers and ranchers, small business owners, and teachers in Oklahoma paying the debts of Ivy League lawyers and doctors across the U.S.,’ Mullin wrote.
He had ‘over $1.4 million in PPP loans forgiven.’
Hern had more than $1 million in PPP loans forgiven.
‘To recap, in the last two weeks, the “Party of the People” has supercharged the IRS to go after working-class Americans, raised their taxes, and forced them to pay for other people’s college degrees,’ the Oklahoma Republican had tweeted.
Biden supporters marveled that the official White House Twitter account would take on Republicans so boldly – with a number of them responding to the thread by sharing ‘dark Brandon’ memes – photos of Biden with glowing eyes meant to show him as a magical force.
Others, however, pointed out that PPP loans were supposed to help business owners honor their payroll obligations during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic – and that the benefits didn’t necessarily line the pockets of the owners.
Biden’s plan kills off $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers who make less than $125,000 and pops that amount up to $20,000 if the borrower took out Pell Grants to pay for college.
