Student loan calculation on Capitol Hill

A play-by-play preview of the day's congressional news

Aug 24, 2022 View in browser   By Katherine Tully-McManus PATIENCE ON LOAN — The Biden administration is expected to announce today the cancellation of up to $10,000 in student loan debt per borrower under a certain income, following immense pressure from liberals and a years-long pause on loan payments during the pandemic. Pressure campaign: Democrats in Congress have amped up pressure for Biden to tackle what they call a crisis of insurmountable student loan debt that is hampering economic progress for millions. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), along with loan forgiveness advocates Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) spoke on Friday with White House Chief of Staff Ron Kain and White House economic advisor Brian Deese to make yet another pitch to the administration. Schumer and Warnock have long advocated for forgiving at least $50,000, which is the threshold some experts say would start to ease the disproportionate burden on Black borrowers. Today's announcement won't come close to that. The current extension of the pandemic pause on student loan payments was set to expire on Aug. 31, putting a tight timeline on a decision to extend the pause again or make a move towards forgiveness. Payments have not been required on most federal student loans since March 2020. Biden has extended the pause four times, most recently in April, saying that the loan relief was necessary to allow federal student loan borrowers to get back on strong financial footing. Just last night, Schumer got back on the phone with Biden to urge him to cancel as much debt as he can, according to a person familiar with the call. Not a dime for Congress: The forgiveness program would be offered to individuals who earn less than $125,000 per year. That is $50,000 less than any member of Congress makes, so no lawmaker who still holds student loan debt (there are many) will benefit from this major announcement. Republicans balk: Republicans have been introducing legislation, doomed under Democratic control, to block Biden from forgiving student debt. They warn about exacerbating inflation and argue that loan cancellation transfers the burden from borrowers with degrees and high-paying jobs to taxpayers. But close to 40 percent of borrowers burdened by student loans never completed their degrees and many college graduates don't make a living wage.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, August 24, where we wish good luck to the post-primary job hunters. Pat Ryan speaks during a campaign rally, Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, in Kingston, N.Y. | Mary Altaffer/AP Photo PRIMARY RESULTS — Dems clinch special election: Democrat Pat Ryan beat Republican Marc Molinaro in the special election to replace Democrat Antonio Delgado, who left to become New York's lieutenant governor in May. The race was seen by both parties as a bellwether for what November could look like, with candidates previewing each party's talking points ahead of the general election. Ryan's messaging leaned heavily into the fight for abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court's June decision overturning Roe v. Wade, while Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, kept his campaign focused on crime and inflation. Biden only won the battleground district by fewer than 2 percentage points in 2020, making it a key GOP target to flip and a top priority for Dems to defend. Democrats are already touting the win as a signal of enthusiasm among their base and viability of their message in tight races. It could signal a possible dampening of the red wave that Republicans are counting on in the midterms. "Pat Ryan's energetic, entrepreneurial leadership will make him a valued Member of our House Democratic Majority," Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement after midnight. Here comes Gen Z: Maxwell Frost won the Democratic primary for Florida's 10th Congressional District. The solidly Democratic district that includes Orlando means that the 25-year-old progressive activist will likely become the first Gen Z member of Congress. Sabrina Rodriguez had a great piece earlier this week on Frost: 'The Future We Deserve': This Florida Gen Z Candidate Thinks He Can Chart a New Path For the Youth Nadler ousts Maloney: Rep. Jerry Nadler won the bruising member-on-member Manhattan battle against his crosstown colleague, Rep. Carolyn Maloney. More from our team in New York. Goldman takes the 10th: Dan Goldman claimed victory in the new Congressional seat in Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn last night, beating out a crowded field of progressives, including incumbent Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.). Goldman claimed his win with just over 1,000 votes separating him from state Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, who came in second. SPM holds on: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney won his primary in the newly drawn 17th congressional district in New York, beating out state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi . Maloney drew harsh criticism from his Democratic colleagues for his role as Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair this cycle. He now heads to a competitive general election facing Republican state Assemblymember Mike Lawler. Oklahoma: Rep. Markwayne Mullin won Tuesday's GOP primary runoff for one of Oklahoma's Senate seats. That makes him a favorite to fill the seat that Sen. Jim Inhofe is leaving at the end of this year. He'd be the only Indigenous member of the Senate as an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and the first Native American elected to the chamber since Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) retired in 2005. Horns, thorns: Mullin will face former Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn. But she won't be the only Horn on the ballot. Cybersecurity expert Madison Horn won the Democratic primary runoff for Oklahoma's other Senate seat. Madison Horn will face incumbent Republican Sen. James Lankford, who will be the heavy favorite in November. Kendra and Madison are not related. A+ headline from Tulsa World: Oklahoma Democrats have their Horns out in U.S. Senate races More on races in the Sooner State from The AP. No concession: GOP Rep. Dan Webster (R-Fla.) squeaked out a close primary win against notorious conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. But, predictably, she is refusing to concede. She told a crowd last night: "I'm not conceding, because I'm a winner," Loomer said. "And the reality is, our Republican Party is broken to its core." More, from POLITICO's campaigns team: Dems notch major special election win, 2 incumbents fall in big primary night BOWING OUT: JOHN WOOD MAKES LIKE A TREE — And leaves the Missouri Senate race. Two months ago, Jan. 6 committee investigator John Wood gave up his high profile post with the special committee. And on Aug. 1, he submitted more than 20,000 signatures of Missouri voters to make an independent run for Senate. Less than a month later, he's calling it quits. Wood wanted to ensure that scandal plagued former Gov. Eric Greitens didn't make it to Washington. His campaign positioned him as a conservative alternative to the nominees from each major party. Greitens was defeated by Attorney General Eric Schmitt in the Republican primary on Aug. 2. "While I think I could have beaten Eric Greitens, Missouri no longer faces the risk of Greitens as our next U.S. Senator," Wood said in a statement. Wood hasn't endorsed either of his main competitors at this point. More from the St. Louis Post Dispatch. ALASKA EXIT — Tara Sweeney, the no. 4 vote-getter in the Alaska all-party primary to fill the vacancy left by Rep. Don Young's (R-Alaska) death, is dropping out of the race. She is a moderate Republican, had significant support from Alaska Native corporations and previously served as an assistant secretary of Interior in the Trump administration. She finished fourth, far behind Democrat Mary Peltola and Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III. But the top four advance to the general election in November. Sweeney is opting out. "Looking at the outcome of the Regular Primary election, I don't see a path to victory, nor to raise the resources needed to be successful this November," Sweeney said in a statement Tuesday. Liz Ruskin from Alaska Public Media has more. GUILTY PLEA — Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to misdemeanor driving under the influence charges from a May crash in Napa County. His sentence includes five days in jail: two which he already served and two he received credit for, and he'll serve in a court work program instead of the final day. He will also have three years probation, attend a three-month drinking driver class and have a breathalyzer type device installed in his car that requires a clean sample before the engine will start. He will also have to pay nearly $7,000 in fines.   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.     HUDDLE HOTDISH A chant from a recent Senate dining worker protest over wages, benefits and a union contract is now a piece of art. QUICK LINKS  'We Left Everything:' Afghan Refugees Reflect On Their New Lives In The D.C. Area One Year Later, from Valerie Plesch at DCist Exclusive: Biden administration likely to extend baby formula help for low-income moms, from Meredith Lee IRS launches safety review after right-wing threats , from Jacob Bogage at The Washington Post TRANSITIONS  Pat Thompson is now a professional staff member on the Senate Commerce Committee. He previously was national security adviser for Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) Claire Viall is now deputy assistant secretary of Education for higher education in the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs. She previously was a senior adviser for education policy for the House Education and Labor Committee. Mariel Murray is now a specialist in natural resources policy and Native American issues at the Congressional Research Service. She previously was staff chief for natural resources and environment in the U.S. Forest Service in the USDA's Office of Budget and Program Analysis.  TODAY IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are out. AROUND THE HILL Post primary buzz, but not much official. TRIVIA TUESDAY'S WINNER: Joanna Duchesne correctly answered that Herbert Hoover was the first president to have a phone installed at his desk in the Oval Office. There was previously a phone in the foyer outside his office and phones had been in use at the White House since Rutherford B. Hayes had the first one installed in 1878. But none on the president's desk until Hoover. TODAY'S QUESTION: Which president was a regular skinny dipper in Tyber Creek? Bonus: What was the name of the journalist (or their newspaper) who once staked out his swimming spot to get an interview? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to ktm@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Katherine on Twitter @ktullymcmanus   Follow us

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