Harris Has Championed Loan Forgiveness, For-Profit Crackdowns and Free College
Katherine Knott
July 23, 2024
She could become the first HBCU graduate in the Oval Office—and would likely build on the Biden administration’s ambitious higher ed agenda.
President Biden’s decision Sunday to drop his re-election bid cleared the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place at the top of the ticket.
It’s not yet clear how, or how much, a President Harris might differ from Biden on higher education policy. Like most vice presidents, she’s generally been in lockstep with the president and championed their administration’s policies. She’s pushed its efforts to forgive student loans and make payments more affordable for borrowers. As a senator, she signed on to legislation to make community college free (also a Biden proposal) and help colleges pay for students’ basic needs, such as food, housing and transportation. Prior to that, as attorney general for California, she uncovered predatory practices at some for-profit colleges and pushed for cancellation of loans taken out by students who were defrauded.
