At this point in President Joe Biden’s time in office, we’re still facing an ongoing global pandemic, and we’re all still trying to adjust to the ways life as we know it has changed. Students and teachers are navigating mask debates, conservative school board members are stirring hysteria about unnecessary book bans, and restaurant and gig delivery workers are still risking their health in order to make ends meet. For those of us (like myself) who have federal student loan debt, our loans have continued to be deferred—but unlike Biden promised, they haven’t been canceled. 

That’s a big point of frustration for many progressives. While Biden’s campaign promises centered around just $10,000 in federal student loan forgiveness per person—as opposed to Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who pledged full forgiveness and $50,000, respectively—we haven’t seen that actually happen. Reporters have asked White House press secretary Jen Psaki a number of times, and they’ve been largely brushed off—memos are in the works and research is being done, we’ve been told, but we haven’t seen results. Now, at least one high-ranking progressive is speaking out on behalf of folks with student debt—even going as far as to show support for a debt strike.

In speaking to Teen Vogue over the phone for an interview, Warren stressed that we can’t look at the amount of debt a person owes as a one-dimensional issue. For example, depending on your salary, overall income, and other financial obligations, carrying $20,000 in student debt might seem manageable for you to pay off. But if you’re working for minimum wage, as Warren points out, “that $20,000 might as well as be $20,000 million.” Basically: If the money isn’t there, it isn’t there. 

The Massachusetts senator said the ongoing loan debt repayment pause has “given people a chance” and reinforced what a significant impact student debt has on our economy. Warren pointed out that we can’t reasonably expect people who are struggling to make student debt payments to, for example, start their own small business or even get their own apartment or buy a home—and all of this has an overall impact on the economy. 

When we consider the situation with an intersectional lens, this nuance becomes even more magnified. When we consider that Black women owe disproportionately more in student loan debt than white women, for example, we can take that a step further and recognize that not only do Black women get paid less, but they also owe more debt and are facing latent systemic and structural racism and bias. Student debt forgiveness is truly a racial justice and equity issue. 

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Warren’s recent interview is her support for protesting around student debt forgiveness. While the Biden administration’s take seems to be to just keep waiting patiently, debt holders are getting frustrated. Will we receive another extension? Will we have to resume payments while the pandemic continues to roar? It’s disappointing in general, but especially when we consider the midterm elections. 

Warren told the news outlet that she’s “all in” for young people to “find every way humanly possible to raise their voices.” She said that while the White House is making a decision, “all of us” need to be heard. 

We need your members of Congress to get on board, and urge President Biden to use his executive authority.

Sign and send the petition: Support canceling $50,000 in federal student debt.