Vice President Kamala Harris, in Philly, promotes student debt relief plan

Vice President Kamala Harris visited Philadelphia on Monday to promote the Biden administration’s latest plan to provide student loan debt relief, stopping at the William Cramp School in North Philadelphia to highlight relief available to teachers and other public servants.

Harris’ visit to Pennsylvania, a battleground state that could decide the election, comes as President Joe Biden looks to revive his promise to cancel student debt for millions of low- and middle-income Americans ahead of his November rematch with former President Donald Trump.

“What can we do to relieve some of the burden?” Harris said. “... For those individuals who have received this forgiveness, that’s more money in their pocketbook to pay for things like child care. More money in their pocket to get through the month for things like rent or a mortgage.”

Harris’ second trip to Pennsylvania this year comes roughly two weeks before the state’s April 23 primary. The vice president spoke during an informal, roundtable discussion, which included U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Philadelphia) and several Philadelphia school and city employees who have benefited from student debt relief.

“You have shown the type of leadership that we need today,” Evans told Harris. “And you do not — you, nor the president do not let the Supreme Court get in the way when you think that there is something that needs to be done right for workers and middle-class people.”

» READ MORE: What’s in the Biden student loan forgiveness plan that Kamala Harris touted in Philly Monday

Biden’s first attempt at canceling student debt was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court last year. Since then, the administration has used more narrow channels to eliminate around $140 billion in loans for around four million borrowers — despite falling short of its goal to cancel tens of thousands worth of debt for a wide swath of borrowers.

Biden’s new plan would automatically cancel debt for people who would qualify for the existing debt relief programs but who have not applied, including from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which can provide relief teachers and other public servants.

“We don’t pay our teachers nearly what they deserve in terms of the value that they give to society as a whole,” Harris said at the North Philadelphia school.

Cramp School enrolls about 350 students in grades K-5. All of its students are considered economically disadvantaged; 24% are English-language learners, and 17% require special education services. The school has a dual-language program that teaches children to become bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish.

Harris said teachers and other civil servants should not have to choose between public service and being able to pay their bills.

The administration is looking to expand relief to over 30 million borrowers, according to the White House. That includes canceling up to $20,000 of “runaway” interest on loans for most income-eligible borrowers, federal loans that have been in payment for two decades or longer, and loans held by those experiencing hardships like medical debt and childcare costs, among other goals.

Black and Latino borrowers are likelier to experience growth in their student loan balances due to excessive interest accumulation, according to figures provided by the White House, and four years after graduation, Black bachelor’s degree borrowers on average owe more than they borrowed.

The vice president listened with empathetic nods as two Philadelphia public servants shared their experiences with student loan debt.

Kelli Gray, a children’s social worker, shared a tearful story about her loans, which ballooned to over $300,000 as she pursued education degrees.

”My student debt story is like everyone else’s,” Gray said. “I knew I wanted a better life for myself and twin daughters.”

Gray, who works with the Department of Human Services, became emotional as she described how relief programs enabled her to clear her debt and buy a home.

”I just want everyone to know there’s help out there,” Gray said.

Biden spent Monday in Wisconsin — another pivotal state in his reelection campaign — to announce the proposal; Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona traveled to New York City; and Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, touted the plan in Arizona.

“Too many people feel the strain and stress, wondering if they can get married, have their first child, start a family, because even if they get by, they still have this crushing, crushing debt,” Biden said in Wisconsin.

National Republicans attacked the string of events as election year theater.

“Kamala Harris’s empty rhetoric will never erase the high-costs Pennsylvanians are paying for Bidenomics,” the Republican National Committee said in a statement as Harris’ event in Philadelphia kicked off.

The administration’s plan is hardly final and is expected to face months of public comment and objections from Republican lawmakers before any parts take effect.

Should the plan survive a likely host of legal challenges, it would clear the full student loan debt owed by four million people, while 10 million borrowers would see $5,000 or more in relief, a spokesperson from the White House said.

Following the student debt event, Harris was whisked from North to South Philadelphia for a special appearance at the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee’s annual cocktail party.

Harris arrived by motorcade at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Banquet Hall for the event, which was attended by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, Philadelphia Democratic Chair Bob Brady, and other influential names in city politics.

Staff writer Kristen A. Graham and the Associated Press contributed reporting.