(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) A group of Republican House representatives has raised questions concerning the ethics of White House staff who may be encouraging their aged and often-confused boss to clear several million dollars of their personal student loan debt.
Reps. James Comer, R-Ky., and Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., authored a letter to the Office of Government Ethics with their concerns, according to the Washington Examiner.
“President Biden’s student loan bailout is unfair to hardworking Americans who do not hold a college degree or who made tough financial decisions to pay for their college education,” Comer said in a statement to the Examiner.
“President Biden’s bailout also raises ethical concerns about Biden administration officials with student loans who are working on this bailout scheme and stand to benefit financially from it.”
Biden is considering a student loan forgiveness policy of $10,000 or more per borrower, forcing the heft of student loans on the taxpayer.
Apparently, some of the biggest beneficiaries of student loan forgiveness work within the White House.
Financial disclosures from the Office of Government Ethics show that 30 staffers have more than $10,000 in debt, including White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Nearly all White House aides hold student loans, altogether totaling between $2 – $4.7 million, reported the Examiner. One staff member reported owing between $500,000 and $1 million.
Many staffers on lower levels are not obligated to report their student debt, meaning the grand total is likely higher.
The report from the Ethics office is what spurred the letter from Comer and Foxx.
“This policy is an unjust wealth transfer from hardworking Americans to highly educated upper-middle-class graduates who borrowed from taxpayers to earn their degree, and, in some cases, multiple degrees,” reads an excerpt.
Only 13% of Americans hold student loans. White House staff earned an average salary of $95,649 in 2021—well above the national average.
The GOP lawmakers are not calling for specific action at the moment, and just hoped to call attention to the issue.
