Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly backed out of appearing in a video with President Biden on student loan forgiveness, not wanting to become the public face of a matter on which the administration was unlikely to satisfy progressives.
In early April, Harris' office began collaborating with Biden's on a video promoting the extension of the student loan pause. Eventually Harris' office decided against doing the video, two White House officials told Politico.
Biden then released his own video announcing the extension of the student loan repayment pause and Harris put out a written statement announcing the move.
Biden released a video on April 6: 'I know folks were hit hard by this pandemic, and though we've come a long way in the last year we're still recovering from the economic crisis it caused. This continued pause will help Americans breathe a little easier,' he said. It is not clear if that was the video the Politico report was referring to.
Americans with federal student loan debt haven't had to pay back loans since March 2020 of the Trump administration due to COVID-19. The pause now runs through at least August 31.
The last time they'd extended the pause in December, both appeared in a video.
Harris as a presidential candidate campaigned on canceling up to $20,000 in student debt, and privately supports the move.
One White House source said Harris' office initially seemed eager to participate in the video but later became hesitant of becoming the public face on student loans, realizing that Biden was not going to cancel tens of thousands of student debt the way the progressive wing of his party had been pushing for.
Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly backed out of appearing in a video with President Biden on student loan forgiveness, not wanting to become the public face of a matter on which the administration was unlikely to satisfy progressives
Biden released a video on April 6: 'I know folks were hit hard by this pandemic, and though we've come a long way in the last year we're still recovering from the economic crisis it caused'
Some progressive members within Biden's administration reportedly have pushed for him to acquiesce to the likes of Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who led 100 lawmakers in a letter asking Biden to use executive authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt for everyone.
But Biden has long resisted, worried about the message it might send to cancel student debt for high-income people
