Waco, TX (FOX 44) — The senate voted on Thursday to block President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program for millions of borrowers.
The house made the same vote last week with even some democrats supporting it as Capitol Hill negotiates how it’ll move the debt ceiling.
Kellen Wood is a junior at Baylor University who with her parents had to take out several loans.
Wood is trying to focus on school and says she isn’t ready for a full financial burden.
“Not having that financial security right after you get out of college and spending a couple of years just making money in order to pay back student loans, that’s what your whole life becomes, so I would say it definitely gives me a sense of anxiety,” said Wood.
Wood came to Baylor from Pennsylvania to major in biology with goals to be a physician.
“I would love to go into medical missions someday and get to serve in developing countries and even developing parts in the U.S.,” said Wood.
However Wood’s dream comes at a high price.
“It’s about $32,000 for the loan so far and then eventually paying back after college, which will probably be more so on me and my part,” said Wood.
Wood says she’ll probably be taking out more loans in medical school.
Wood and her family are paying back some of the loans right now, but with the house and senate voting against Biden’s loan forgiveness plan she isn’t ready to pay back larger amounts without a safety net.
“Forced to be paying that as a college student without really having the time to have a job because your full time job is school…that’s just a little harder to be able to provide for yourself versus with the pause in place,” said Wood.
Economist Ray Perryman with The Perryman Group says the agreement to block loan forgiveness can be temporary in order to move the debt ceiling plan.
“I can’t emphasize enough. They reach one of these agreements and they called it a two year agreement. In reality, there’s four or five more occasions along the way that these things get revisited,” said Perryman.
President Biden did say he’d veto this decision.
However, the only group to have a final word on Biden’s plan is the Supreme Court which is expected to make a ruling on this issue before the end of June.