NextGen America Delivers Student Debt Cancellation Petition to the White House

Petition featuring more than 5,000 signatures is the latest action in NextGen’s advocacy for permanent student loan cancellation

Austin, TX —  On Tuesday, NextGen America mailed 5,584 petitions to President Biden calling on his administration to cancel $50,000 of student debt by executive action. NextGen highlighted the moment with a video of NextGen’s President, Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, announcing the initiative. The effort is NextGen’s latest in a months-long advocacy campaign on the debt crisis, which affects millions of young Americans and disproportionately impacts women and people of color. Last year, NextGen supporters sent 12,608 letters to President Biden to urge student debt cancellation.

NextGen supports full cancellation of student loan debt, but has called at a minimum for the administration to uphold Biden’s campaign promise to cancel $10,000 in debt.

“Millions of young people voted for Biden with the promise that he would cancel student debt, it’s time he fulfilled that promise,” NextGen America President Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez said. “Debt cancellation makes good economic sense, it’s good politics and it’s one of the few immediate steps the administration could take to close the racial wealth gap. This petition is yet another clear indication that borrowers are demanding an immediate solution to this crisis, and we hope President Biden listens to us.”

Other recent efforts by NextGen have included student debt education sessions, a ‘100 Days to Cancel Student Debt’ town hall featuring Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Elizabeth Warren, a #CancelStudentDebt Town Hall on Twitter, as well as a social media campaign in partnership with Crooked Media sharing young people’s personal stories.

NextGen is committed to seeing action on student debt cancellation. Higher education should present an opportunity for young people to expand their possibilities, not limit them. Reducing the debt burden will create a more level economic playing field for women and people of color and can help to build a more equitable future for all.

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About NextGen America

NextGen America is the leading national organization for engaging young people through voter education, registration and mobilization. We invite 18-to-35 year olds — the largest and most diverse generation in American history — into our democracy to ensure our government works for them and to find new solutions to the dire challenges facing our society and the world. Since 2013, NextGen America has registered more than 1.4 million young voters and educated many millions more.