COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is one of 22 Republican governors to have signed a letter asking President Joe Biden to cut his student loan forgiveness plan.
"As governors, we support making higher education more affordable and accessible for students in our states, but we fundamentally oppose your plan to force American taxpayers to pay off the student loan debt of an elite few—a plan that is estimated to cost the American taxpayer more than $2,000 each or $600 billion total, a price the people of our states cannot afford," the letter, which was sent to Biden on Monday, reads. "Only 16-17 percent of Americans have federal student loan debt, and yet, your plan will require their debts be redistributed and paid by the vast majority of taxpayers. Shifting the burden of debt from the wealthy to working Americans has a regressive impact that harms lower income families."
The letter was signed by the following 22 Republican governors:
- Kim Reynolds, Iowa
- Doug Ducey, Arizona
- Brian Kemp, Georgia
- Mike Parson, Missouri
- Chris Sununu, New Hampshire
- Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma
- Bill Lee, Tennessee
- Mark Gordon, Wyoming
- Kay Ivey, Alabama
- Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas
- Brad Little, Idaho
- Greg Gianforte, Montana
- Doug Burgum, North Dakota
- Henry McMaster, South Carolina
- Greg Abbott, Texas
- Mike Dunleavy, Alaska
- Ron DeSantis, Florida
- Larry Hogan, Maryland
- Pete Ricketts, Nebraska
- Mike DeWine, Ohio
- Kristi Noem, South Dakota
- Spencer Cox, Utah
The letter comes less than one month after Biden announced plans to cancel at least $10,000 in student loan debt for millions of federal borrowers and $20,000 to Pell Grant recipients. In contrast with the governors' claims, Biden has stated that his plan is aimed to help middle-class and lower-income families via income-based eligibility, as borrowers with incomes less than $125,000, or households earning $250,000 or less, are eligible for the $10,000 in forgiveness, while the up to $20,000 in debt relief is for people who have been low-income Pell Grant recipients.
Biden's plan has been the subject of political discourse with the November 8 election approaching. Last month, DeWine's opponent in the Ohio gubernatorial election, former Dayton mayor Nan Whaley, criticized Biden's plan, stating: "This policy is not fair to the thousands of Ohioans who made the decision to not attend college because of the cost or for those who have already paid off their loans."