Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

National

Jones supports efforts to address student loan debt for people of color

U.S. Senator Doug Jones, D-Alabama, led a letter to over 100 key stakeholders nationwide to solicit feedback that can help improve federal policies for student borrowers of color and make access to higher education more equitable.

Stakeholders receiving the letter included experts in education policy and leaders in business, advocacy, academia, civil rights, consumer protection, and womenโ€™s issues. Senators Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-New Mexico), Kamala Harris (D-California), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) co-signed the letter.

The senators wrote, โ€œStudents of color are more likely to borrow, borrow in greater amounts, and are less likely to be able to pay down their debt than their white peers โ€“ even if they graduate. This disproportionate debt burden can cause significant financial distress and affect their ability to build their path to the middle class, a key goal of the federal financial aid investment.โ€

โ€œAfrican-American and Latino students still owe more than 100 percent of their loan balance after 12 years of college entry, even if they complete a degree,โ€ Jones and the other Senators and stakeholders wrote. โ€œWhite students, meanwhile, owe anywhere between 47 to 70 percent of their loan balance depending on the credential they obtained. Even among bachelorโ€™s degree graduates, the African-American-white debt gap more than triples after graduation, due to differences in interest accrual, graduate school borrowing, and ongoing deeper issues related to labor market discrimination, racialized economic hardships, and familial wealth.โ€

โ€œThese outcomes are staggering and unacceptable,โ€ the letter continued. โ€œAs members of Congress, we are committed to doing better for these students and ask for your assistance in defining specific proposals the federal government can take to address these disparities.โ€

Senator Jones is hosting an HBCU Summit in Birmingham on February 1 to discuss this issue and others impacting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The Summit will provide a forum for students, educators, and administrators to exchange information and ideas to strengthen these educational institutions.

Senator Jones supported securing a 14-percent increase in federal resources for HBCUs in the March 2018 omnibus spending bill and introducing legislation to permanently extend and increase federal funding for MSIs.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Doug Jones is a former U.S. Attorney who was elected to the Senate in a special election in 2017 where he defeated Chief Justice Roy Moore (R). Jones served as an aid to former U.S. Senator Howell Heflin (D-Alabama). He was appointed U.S. Attorney by then President Bill Clinton (D).

According to the Federal Reserve, the American people are carrying over $19 trillion in personal debt. Of that $1.6 trillion is student loan debt.

Brandon Moseley is a former reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter.

More from APR

Party politics

After an abysmal 2024 election showing, former Sen. Doug Jones believes the ADP executive committee should make a change in party leadership now.

Opinion

The federal Stop the Scroll Act would require social media platforms to warn users of the โ€œnegative mental health impacts."

Opinion

If the Democratic Party plans on winning another presidential election any time soon, it must stop taking its own supporters for granted.

Opinion

As I look back on my time in the Alabama Senate, I am filled with gratitude for the privilege of representing you.