Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced a bill Friday that would bar anti-Israel protesters from receiving student loan forgiveness if they are convicted of crimes stemming from campus protests.
arkansas republican No remedies for campus crime lawsThe bill, co-sponsored by 18 other Republican senators, would exclude individuals convicted of state or federal crimes related to campus protests from receiving federal student loan relief. .
“Americans who have never gone to college or responsibly repaid their debt should not have to pay off someone else’s student loans,” Cotton said in a statement.
“In particular, we should not have to repay debts from Hamas supporters who closed down or desecrated our campuses,” he added.
The bill was introduced in response to a wave of anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, and anti-terrorism protests that have swept college campuses across the country.
Approximately 200 anti-Israel demonstrators have been arrested at Columbia University’s Manhattan campus since mid-April.
Activists first set up a tent encampment on one of the Ivy League school’s main lawns, then stormed and occupied the university’s historic buildings, forcing final exams to be postponed and students to take online classes. I was forced to.
“Hamas supporters who engage in criminal activity on college campuses should be excluded from student loan relief,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said in a statement. ” he said.
“We must hold these criminals accountable and ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to pay off their debts,” she added.
Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) is leading a co-sponsored bill in the House.
“Violent protesters on campus are making laughable demands for respect, pardons, and even take-out food. Our bicameral bill would protect students convicted of criminal offenses. I guarantee that not a single protester will be bailed out by student loan forgiveness. Not a single penny of taxpayer money will go toward funding criminals,” Williams said in a statement.
President Biden approved approximately $160 billion in student loan forgiveness for approximately 4.6 million borrowers through various executive actions during his first term.
University of Pennsylvania Penn Wharton’s budget model The 81-year-old president’s student loan cancellation plan is estimated to cost taxpayers a whopping $559 billion over 10 years.
