Apr 22, 2019

2020 presidential election: Elizabeth Warren's $640 billion student debt proposal

Axios

Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s latest big 2020 idea: A $640 billion student loan debt cancellation, funded by a tax on the rich.

Why it matters: Student loan debt is becoming a top 2020 political issue, testing candidates on how to keep Americans' student loan debt from further increasing. Warren wants to finance the proposal, like many of her others, with her "ultra-millionaire tax," she wrote in a Medium post on Monday.

By the numbers: Warren's plan would eliminate all federal and private student loan debt for more than 75% of the 45 million Americans who currently hold loans. It also would include universal free public college.

  • Every person with a household income under $100,000 would be eligible for $50,000 in debt forgiveness — those above that threshold would lose $1 of debt forgiveness for every $3 more they earn.
  • Those whose household income is more than $250,000 do not qualify for any forgiveness.
  • The plan would also create a fund of at least $50 billion to aid historically black colleges and universities.

Go deeper: Debt-free college: Where the 2020 presidential candidates stand

Go deeper

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 665,164 — Total deaths: 30,852 — Total recoveries: 140,225.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 124,665 — Total deaths: 2,191 — Total recoveries: 1,095.
  3. Federal government latest: President Trump announces new travel advisories for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, but rules out quarantine enforcement. Per the CDC, residents of those states must now "refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days," with the exception of critical infrastructure industry workers.
  4. State updates: Alaska is latest state to issue a stay-at-home order — New York is trying to nearly triple its hospital capacity in less than a month and has moved its presidential primary to June 23. Some Midwestern swing voters who backed Trump's handling of the virus less than two weeks ago are balking at his call for the U.S. to be "opened up" by Easter.
  5. World updates: In Spain, over 1,400 people were confirmed dead between Thursday to Saturday.
  6. 🚀 Space updates: OneWeb filed for bankruptcy amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
  7. Hollywood: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have returned to U.S. after being treated for coronavirus.
  8. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk
  9. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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