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Will Joe Biden lose Black votes for ignoring $50K student debt? Internet hopes he'll fight 'structural racism'

Nearly 67 percent of registered Black voters strongly support eliminating student loan debt. Another study found that racial disparity in student loan debt remains a prevalent issue for Black people

During his first town hall on Tuesday, February 16, since becoming the president, Joe Biden impressed a lot of his supporters with his plans. From promoting the Covid-19 relief package and promising to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour to referring to Donald Trump as "the former guy", Biden awed many viewers. However, there is one aspect of the CNN town hall event that has upset many voters. The President said that he wouldn't write off the $50,000 in student loan debt. 

Participating in the CNN town hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Biden was asked by attendee Joycelyn Fish what measures he would put to work to get the $50,000 wiped from each American student's loan bill. To this, Biden said, "I will not make that happen". A recent survey suggests that this might not sit well with Black voters. 

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At the same time, he maintained that he will see the originally articulated plan during the campaign trial, which was to absolve adult borrowers from $10,000 worth of debt, to its fruition. "I understand the impact of debt and it can be debilitating," he said. "But I do think that in this moment of economic pain and strain that we should be eliminating interest on the debts that are accumulated, number one and number two, I'm prepared to write off a $10,000 debt, but not $50,000."

All this dillydallying is reportedly is only going to make voters impatient. According to a new survey, Black voters want student loan debt eliminated altogether. According to a national poll conducted by the Global Strategy Group for Color of Change, a national civil rights advocacy organization, shared exclusively with NBC News that 67 percent of registered Black voters strongly support eliminating student loan debt.

Overall, 84 percent support a full or partial elimination of student loan debt. "Black voters who were responsible for delivering not only a majority in the Senate, but [also] a Biden-Harris administration … overwhelmingly want to see sweeping reform in terms of student loan elimination," said Arisha Hatch, vice president and chief of campaigns at Color Of Change.

At the same time, 40 percent of the 900 nationwide registered voters polled between January 6 and 10 said they were not willing to vote for candidates who oppose eliminating student loan debt.

Based on research released in November 2019 by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, racial disparity in student loan debt remains a big, prevalent issue for Black people. Researchers found that people in Black-majority neighborhoods were more likely to pay for college through borrowing, with 23 percent of Black residents taking student loans. But the figure drops to 17 percent among people in Latino-majority neighborhoods and 14 percent in White-majority areas. 

The president might have said "I don't think I have the authority to do it by signing," but members of his own party, including D-NY Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have said Biden does have the power. Other Democratic legislators like Reps Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass), Alma Adams (D-NC), Mondaire Jones (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) have all proposed slashing $50,000 in student debt loans without tax liability for borrowers.

Even Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is in support of it. "The Biden admin NEEDS to be pushed," said Ocasio-Cortez during an Instagram Q&A last week. "They have said they're comfortable with $10K in forgiveness but we NEED at least $50K minimum and there is support for 50K."

Ever since the town hall, social media is livid that Biden won't go the distance. "Biden would let millions of working class struggle under the burden of student loan debt to prevent paying the debts of a handful of wealthy graduates. Who the fuck is buying that excuse??" one tweeted.

Many shared their disappointment with the Biden administration on social media. "I’ve been disappointed in Biden so far with the lack of stimulus checks, some of his cabinet picks, and now this. I hope he changes his mind and cancels all or at least more student debt! Also I hope we get more vaccine production," one said.

"Biden ignores that forgiving $50k of student loan debt is not just an economic rescue for millions, but also a policy that would fight structural racism. Sad to watch @POTUS @JoeBiden casually dismiss it in a townhall where he called for racial justice," another added.

AOC even took to Twitter to slam the points Biden made. "1. Who cares what school someone went to? Entire generations of working class kids were encouraged to go into more debt under the guise of elitism. This is wrong. 2. Nowhere does it say we must trade-off early childhood education for student loan forgiveness. We can have both."