Democratic New York state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi was the target of online criticism this week after complaining about still having to pay off her student loans while the U.S. Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden’s stimulus plan to cancel student loan debt.
Biaggi, a graduate of Fordham Law School, tweeted that she “have been paying loans for 11 years” and still had $206,000 remaining to pay off.
Many social media users were quick to point out that Biaggi has a net worth of over a million dollars after buying a $1.137 million estate in the “ritzy suburban enclave” of Bedford, New York. The 20 percent down payment of this mortgage would have more than paid off this student loan debt.
“And we taxpayers should bail you out… why, exactly?” asked psychology professor Geoffrey Miller.
Conservative writer Christopher F. Rufo offered different advice, suggesting that Biaggi “need Dave Ramsey, not Joe Biden.”
Other Twitter users questioned why taxpayers should be responsible for paying off Biaggi’s loans since she could have chosen a different school to attend, where tuition would have been more affordable.
“It’s not my responsibility to pay off Harvard graduate’s student loans. If you couldn’t afford it you could have gone to a different school,” tweeted former UFC/MMA fighter Jake Shields.
The criticism of Biaggi’s comments has sparked a larger debate about the issue of student loan debt. While over 44 million Americans are dealing with student loan debt, there’s no easy answer as to how to solve this growing problem.
Regardless of the opinion of her comments, Biaggi’s tweet has reignited the conversation on how our society should respond to the issue of student loan debt in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s ruling. With the rising debt, it’s becoming clear that more needs to be done to help those still burdened with student loan debt, but it’s unclear what those solutions are.
In 2012, I graduated from Fordham Law School with $180,000 is student loan debt.
I’ve been paying loans for 11 years. Even paid two of them off completely.
In 2023, my balance is $206,000.
— Alessandra Biaggi (@Biaggi4NY) June 30, 2023