Democrat Tim Ryan Criticizes Biden Student Loan Plan Amid Tough Election

Facing a tough midterm race against a Trump-backed Republican candidate, Democratic Representative Tim Ryan criticized President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan in apparent hopes of appealing to Ohio's swing voters ahead of November.

Shortly after Biden announced his relief plan, Ryan released a statement saying the cancellation of $10,000 in student loan debt for Americans earning less than $125,000 annually was sending "the wrong message" to the millions of residents in his home state.

"As someone who's paying off my own family's student loans, I know the costs of higher education are too high," Ryan said on Wednesday. "And while there's no doubt that a college education should be about opening opportunities, waiving debt for those already on a trajectory to financial security sends the wrong message to the millions of Ohioans without a degree working just as hard to make ends meet."

While most Democrats have praised Biden's executive action, some have broken with their party, raising concerns over the fairness of the plan and the possibility that it could exacerbate current inflation rates.

Ryan's Senate rival J.D. Vance also blasted the president's announcement, slamming Biden for helping those "least in need" at the expense of taxpayers who are already struggling to afford consumer prices.

"Instead of holding administrators accountable for skyrocketing tuition, bloated bureaucratic budgets, and growing armies of 'diversity' consultants, Joe Biden has decided to bail out the group of people least in need—individuals with six figure incomes, and couples making nearly a quarter million dollars per year," Vance said in a statement.

Ryan and Vance are both running to replace GOP Senator Rob Portman in this year's election, and while Republicans had been forecast to hold onto the seat in the battleground state, Ryan has proved to be a tougher challenger than the GOP expected.

Last week, it was reported that the Senate Leadership Fund would pump $28 million into Vance's campaign, signaling that Republican fears are deepening over the Democrats' chances of flipping the Ohio seat.

But, Biden's student debt relief plan has presented a new hurdle for Ryan, who can't alienate swing voters if he wants to make up the slight lead Vance has over him. The most recent poll, conducted from August 15 to 16 by Emerson College, shows Ryan trailing behind this Republican opponent by 3 percentage points, which is within the poll's margin of error.

Although Vance had the advantage over Ryan, the Democrat led on favorability, with 54 percent of respondents holding a favorable view of Ryan, compared with 50 percent who said the same of Vance. As of Thursday, the Senate race is still leaning Republican, according to the Cook Political Report.

In his statement criticizing Biden's plan, Ryan said that instead of forgiving debt for six-figure earners, Democrats should be granting "across-the-board" tax cuts for working and middle-class families and canceling medical debt instead.

The Democrat said the White House should also invest in other forms of higher education like apprenticeships and community colleges, as well as workforce development so that "all Americans—not just college grads—have a shot at success."