Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has strongly criticized the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program and other educational policies ahead of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s visit to Little Rock on Tuesday. In a letter sent to Cardona on Monday, Sanders and Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Olivia expressed their concerns about the legality and fairness of the student loan forgiveness program, as well as the mishandling of the FAFSA program.
Sanders argued that the Biden administration’s forgiveness of certain student loans is “unfair, unwise, and unlawful.” She pointed out that it forces Arkansans who chose not to attend college to pay for others’ education and does not address the future growth of college tuition expenses. Sanders also noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has declared the program unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court last year blocked the Biden administration’s student debt relief plan, which would have stopped more than 40 million borrowers from receiving loan forgiveness. In an effort to circumvent other legal challenges, the Biden administration has rolled out a proposal that would target certain groups of borrowers for relief, including those on income-driven repayment plans and those who have been paying loans for more than 20 years.
Sanders also expressed deep concerns regarding the mishandling of the FAFSA program after the department rolled out updated forms last year. She stated that FAFSA provides a crucial avenue for young Arkansans seeking federal student aid and that the U.S. Department of Education’s FAFSA platform is functionally nonoperational, causing extreme delays, complexity, and difficulty for students and families.
The Education Department has faced criticism in recent months over the botched rollout of FAFSA forms, which has prompted months of delays and incorrect financial aid information being sent to colleges. The Arkansas governor and education chief also aired out a number of other frustrations with the Biden administration’s educational policies, including the decision to shut down Grand Canyon University, the largest Christian university in the U.S.
In conclusion, Sanders expressed hope that Cardona’s visit to Little Rock would offer more than just empty words for struggling Arkansans.
