IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 100 
Calling on the President of the United States to take executive action to 
broadly cancel Federal student loan debt. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 4, 2021 
Ms. PRESSLEY (for herself, Ms. OMAR, Ms. WATERS, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. BOW-
MAN, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mr. JONES, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. BLU-
MENAUER, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. BUSH, Mr. 
CARSON, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. COHEN, Ms. DEAN, Ms. 
ESCOBAR, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. 
VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HASTINGS, Mrs. 
HAYES, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. 
LAWSON of Florida, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. 
LOWENTHAL, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. MENG, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLI-
TANO, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. POCAN, 
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SIRES, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. TLAIB, 
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, 
Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. NEWMAN, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, 
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. BASS, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New 
York, Mr. EVANS, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Ms. PORTER, and Ms. SEWELL) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Calling on the President of the United States to take 
executive action to broadly cancel Federal student loan debt. 
Whereas the United States is facing historic public health 
and economic crises caused by the coronavirus (COVID– 
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19) pandemic that threatens the financial well-being of 
nearly every American family; 
Whereas even before the COVID–19 pandemic, the United 
States also faced a historic student loan crisis, which is 
currently holding back our struggling economy and re-
stricting opportunity and prosperity for millions of Amer-
ican families; 
Whereas nearly 43,000,000 Americans currently hold more 
than $1,500,000,000,000 in Federal student loan debt; 
Whereas more than 9,000,000 Federal student loan bor-
rowers are currently in default on those Federal student 
loans; 
Whereas the COVID–19 economic recession and historic un-
employment have compounded stagnant wages, labor 
market discrimination, and rising costs of living, making 
it nearly impossible for many Americans to ever fully 
repay their student loans; 
Whereas this historic student debt crisis has left millions of 
Americans less prepared to weather the recession trig-
gered by the COVID–19 pandemic as Black and brown 
communities, which never fully recovered from the dev-
astating effects of the previous economic recession, have 
been hit hardest by the devastating health and economic 
consequences of the COVID–19 pandemic; 
Whereas student debt disproportionately impacts Black and 
brown borrowers, who face the worst effects of the stu-
dent debt crisis, with— 
(1) Black households disproportionately holding the 
most debt, compared to other households; 
(2) Black students, due to ongoing structural bar-
riers that have resulted in persistent racial inequities in 
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incomes and wealth, forced to accrue more student debt 
and more often than their White peers; 
(3) Black student borrowers struggling more in stu-
dent loan repayment, including defaulting at higher rates 
than their White peers; 
(4) nearly half of Black graduates owing more on 
their undergraduate student loans 4 years after gradua-
tion than they did when they received their degrees; 
(5) the median Black student borrower owing 95 
percent of his or her debt 20 years after starting college, 
while the median White student borrower would owe 6 
percent of his or her debt after such period; 
(6) Latino student borrowers, who borrow at rates 
similar to their White peers despite having lower house-
hold incomes and significantly less household wealth, 
being more likely than their White peers to default on 
their student loans; 
(7) within 6 years of starting school, Latino bor-
rowers being almost twice as likely to default on their 
student loans, in comparison to their White peers; and 
(8) women of color, particularly Black women, on 
average taking on more student loan debt than members 
of any other group and being more likely to face difficul-
ties repaying student loans; 
Whereas parents, grandparents, and older individuals are es-
pecially vulnerable to the burden of student loan debt, as 
people over the age of 50 are most likely to default on 
their student loans, and over 114,000 retired people have 
had their Social Security benefits garnished due to their 
student loans; 
Whereas almost one-third of the outstanding Federal student 
loan debt is held by individuals who did not complete 
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their degree or program, and nearly 40 percent of Fed-
eral student loan borrowers have no degree 6 years after 
enrolling in college; 
Whereas Black students and other students who have at-
tended historically Black colleges and universities have 
had to bear a larger share of student loan debt because 
of the historic and continued underfunding of these insti-
tutions at the State and Federal levels; 
Whereas student loan debt cancellation for the families that 
need it most can substantially increase Black and Latino 
household wealth and help close racial wealth gaps; 
Whereas women hold more than two-thirds of the Nation’s 
student loan debt and must borrow an average of $3,000 
more than men to obtain higher education; 
Whereas if left unaddressed, the student debt crisis will wors-
en inequality, exacerbate the current recession, widen the 
racial wealth gap, and slow economic recovery; 
Whereas broad student loan debt cancellation is the most effi-
cient and effective solution to our student debt crisis, 
would help millions of families, and would remove a sig-
nificant drag holding back our economy; 
Whereas broad student loan debt cancellation would provide 
immediate relief to millions of American families who are 
struggling during this pandemic and recession, and pre-
vent them from having an unsustainable student debt 
burden waiting for them once this pandemic is over; 
Whereas broad student loan debt cancellation would provide 
a boost to our struggling economy through a consumer- 
driven economic stimulus, greater home-buying rates and 
housing stability, expanded access to more affordable fi-
nancial products including car loans and mortgages, 
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