Florida Gov. DeSantis calls Biden's student loan handout unconstitutional, says colleges should pay for it

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday criticized President Biden’s student loan handout, saying universities should be held accountable instead of the American taxpayer.

"It’s very unfair to have a truck driver have to pay back a loan from somebody who got a Ph.D. in gender studies. That’s not fair, that’s not right," the Republican governor told a press conference, eliciting applause. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses crowd at Florida GOP primary night event in Hialeah, Fla.  (Fox News)

He then argued that universities had benefited the most from the "exorbitant" debt that’s been taken out over the last generation. Much of the rising costs, he said, have gone towards expanding administrative offices without a discernible rise in the quality of education itself. 

"The people that should pay for it (are) not the American taxpayers, it should be the universities (that) should be responsible for that. If they’re producing people that go deep into debt and their degree is not worth anything, and they’re not able to make enough money to pay it back, then that’s on them," DeSantis said. "They’ve had an incentive to get more and more loans taken out and then put it in their pocket." 

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President Biden said Wednesday that many Americans can have up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt forgiven if the loan is held by the Department of Education and the borrower make less than $125,000 individually or $250,000 for a family. 

Supporters praised the move as long overdue, but critics argued that it would set American taxpayers back some $300 billion or more. The White House refuses to give a number on the total cost of the handout.

DeSantis argued that Biden’s actions would cause more inflation and criticized his administration for not complimenting the act with meaningful reform of universities. 

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"He does not have the constitutional authority to do this," DeSantis said. "He is relying on emergency powers because of COVID. So, wait a minute, you got a Ph.D. in gender studies five years ago and that has something to do with COVID. It is an abuse of power. It’s not constitutional."