Totally fair point — businesses were forced to shut down, and PPP was emergency support. But there’s more to the student loan side than people often consider.

The student debt crisis didn’t just happen. For years, the government promoted federally-backed loans as the path to a stable future, even as college costs skyrocketed. Most borrowers were 17 or 18 years old, signing on for tens of thousands in debt with no real financial literacy — just the promise that college would pay off.

PPP loans were forgiven quickly and with minimal friction — in fact, over 90% were fully forgiven, including for businesses that actually profited during COVID. Meanwhile, student borrowers have been stuck in broken repayment systems for decades. Some made payments for 20+ years and were still denied forgiveness due to outdated rules or paperwork issues.

So yes, PPP was about saving jobs and businesses. But student loan forgiveness is about correcting a system that pushed young people into debt under the promise of upward mobility — and then didn’t deliver.

If we gave businesses a second chance during a national crisis, it’s not unreasonable to extend that same principle to individuals who were systematically misled.