WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) applauded the Congressional Black Caucus’ (CBC) statement calling on President Biden to cancel student loan debt.

“I am proud to be a member of this historic Congressional Black Caucus, and I am so deeply grateful that today the CBC has called on President Joe Biden to cancel student debt, an issue that is personal for so many Black families across America. It is long past time we address the $1.7 trillion student loan debt crisis as the racial and economic justice issue that it is. For too long, this crisis has disproportionately impacted our families and communities, particularly Black women who carry the most student debt due to discriminatory policies that systematically denied generational wealth building.

“I applaud our esteemed Chairwoman Joyce Beatty for her clarity and purpose. Black women are leading and together we must deliver for those too often left out and left behind.

“Daily, I hear from my constituents about the devastating impact of student debt—grandmothers drowning in loans that never amounted to a degree, young couples forced to put off buying their first home because of their student debt, teachers who worry they will have to leave the profession they love because they can’t cover their kids’ medical bills and their student loan payments. This is a kitchen table issue.

“By canceling student loan debt, President Biden can single-handedly transform the lives of millions of workers and families across this country and help reduce the racial wealth gap. Our communities have waited long enough for relief and President Biden must act without further delay.”

Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have consistently called on President Biden to cancel student debt. Last year, they led their colleagues in reintroducing their bicameral resolution outlining a bold plan for President Biden to tackle the student loan debt crisis by using existing authority under the Higher Education Act to cancel $50,000 in student loan debt for Federal student loan borrowers.