•HRES 100 IH 
higher college completion rates, and greater small busi-
ness formation; 
Whereas more than 230 community, civil rights, consumer, 
and student advocacy organizations have urged student 
loan debt cancellation for all borrowers in response to the 
COVID–19 pandemic public health and economic crises; 
Whereas canceling up to $50,000 in Federal student loan 
debt per borrower is the most equitable way to ensure the 
benefits of cancellation reach the borrowers most in need 
of relief because that action would lift a disproportionate 
number of low-income borrowers and Black and Latino 
borrowers completely out of student debt, including near-
ly 90 percent of all borrowers in the lowest income quin-
tile and over 90 percent of Black and Latino borrowers 
in the lowest income quartile; 
Whereas borrowers who would receive full student loan debt 
cancellation if the Federal Government canceled $50,000 
per borrower in student loan debt have lower income and 
assets than the borrowers who would receive partial can-
cellation if the Federal Government took that action; 
Whereas Congress has already granted the Secretary of Edu-
cation the legal authority to broadly cancel student debt 
under section 432(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1082(a)), which grants the Secretary 
the authority to modify, ‘‘. . . compromise, waive, or re-
lease any right, title, claim, lien, or demand, however ac-
quired, including any equity or any right of redemption’’; 
Whereas, in 2020, the Department of Education reportedly 
used this authority to implement relief for Federal stu-
dent loan borrowers during the COVID–19 pandemic; 
and 
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•HRES 100 IH 
Whereas, on June 29, 2020, President Donald J. Trump, 
with the support of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, 
vetoed H.J. Res. 76 ‘‘Providing for congressional dis-
approval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, 
of the rule submitted by the Department of Education re-
lating to ‘Borrower Defense Institutional Account-
ability’ ’’, blocking a resolution that passed Congress with 
bipartisan support to overturn a Department of Edu-
cation rule that makes it harder for defrauded Federal 
student loan borrowers to see their loans discharged: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the Secretary of Education’s 
broad administrative authority to cancel Federal stu-
dent loan debt under the existing authorities of sec-
tion 432(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1082(a)); 
(2) calls on the President of the United States 
to take executive action to broadly cancel up to 
$50,000 in Federal student loan debt for Federal 
student loan borrowers administratively using exist-
ing legal authorities under such section 432(a), and 
any other authorities available under the law; 
(3) encourages the President of the United 
States, in taking such executive action, to use the 
executive’s authority under the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 to ensure no tax liability for Federal 
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•HRES 100 IH 
student loan borrowers resulting from administrative 
debt cancellation; 
(4) encourages the President of the United 
States, in taking such executive action, to ensure 
that administrative debt cancellation helps close ra-
cial wealth gaps and avoids the bulk of Federal stu-
dent loan debt cancellation benefits accruing to the 
wealthiest borrowers; and 
(5) encourages the President of the United 
States to continue to pause student loan payments 
and interest accumulation for Federal student loan 
borrowers for the entire duration of the COVID–19 
pandemic. 
Æ 
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