Squad Members Complain About Student Loans

By: John Semmens

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich) want Congress to pass a law absolving them of their responsibility to repay their student loans. Both receive an annual salary of $174,000 plus perks that include taxpayer-funded travel, meals, and lodging. Both claim to be too poor to bear the burden of repayment.

In Ocasio-Cortez's case, her remaining debt is $17,000, an amount that she contends is “unacceptable. Since I have dedicated myself to public service by serving in Congress my debts should be paid by the taxpayers I represent.” She also admitted to “being miffed that the President hasn't canceled my debt via executive order as he promised he would do before he won the 2020 election.”

In Tlaib's case, her remaining debt is $70,000, which she incurred going to law school. She contends that “my own government is profiting off of me. This is not right. As a member of the government I should be supported by the taxpayers. I should not be forced to pay back the loans that the taxpayers forwarded for my benefit. As a lawyer I give superior service to the country by helping pass the laws the people must live by. My congressional colleagues are stabbing me in the back by refusing to pass legislation freeing me of this debt.”

In related news, Ocasio-Cortez called reports of smash-and-grab robberies “fake news—just like the supposed moon landings and the claim that Islamic terrorists were the ones who flew the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center in the so-called 9-11 attacks. It's just retailers trying to cover up losses incurred from poor business management.”