来源：《华盛顿邮报》
原文刊登日期：2022年4月28日
The Education Department announced last week that it would ease rules on certain student loan programs, forgiving 40,000 people’s remaining debts and bringing 3.6 million more borrowers at least three years closer to paying off their loans. This is far less than what student debt activists want; the administration’s changes to the income-driven repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs do not broadly cancel student debt, as the activists desire. But that is a good thing. In a meeting with House Democrats, President Biden expressed openness to further moves that would cancel student debt, and on Thursday, the president said he was “considering dealing with some debt reduction.” He should restrain himself.
教育部上周宣布，将放宽对某些学生贷款项目的规定，免除4万人的剩余债务，使360万借款人能够至少提前三年还清贷款。这远远低于学生债务活动人士的期望；;政府对收入驱动型还款和公共服务贷款减免项目的改变，并没有像活动人士所希望的那样，广泛免除学生债务。但这是件好事。在与众议院民主党人的会议上，拜登总统表示，他对进一步免除学生债务的措施持开放态度，总统周四表示，他正在“考虑减少一些债务”。他应该克制自己。
Contrary to what many activists want, the Education Department’s latest move tries to target federal aid to those who really need it. The income-driven repayment program limits monthly payments to a certain percentage of borrowers’ income, enabling people who pursue their desired careers without worrying how they will pay off their student loans. After 20 to 25 years of repayments, the program cancels borrowers’ remaining debt. The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is even more generous, canceling the debt of government and nonprofit workers after 10 years of repayments.
与许多活动人士所希望的相反，教育部的最新举措试图将联邦援助的目标对准那些真正需要援助的人。收入驱动型还款计划将每月还款限制在借款人收入的一定比例内，使追求理想职业的人不必担心如何还清学生贷款。偿还20至25年后，该计划将免除借款人的剩余债务。公共服务贷款减免计划甚至更加慷慨，政府和非营利组织工作人员在偿还10年后，免除剩余债务。
The Biden administration’s move aims debt forgiveness at those in income-related repayment programs. By contrast, across-the-board student debt cancellation, which left-wing activists and politicians demand, would amount to a regressive subsidy for many high-income university graduates.
拜登政府的这一举措旨在减免那些与收入相关的还款项目的债务。相比之下，左翼活动人士和政界人士所要求的全面免除学生债务，将相当于对许多高收入大学毕业生提供一种累退性补贴。
Mr. Biden hinted Thursday that another announcement on debt cancellation is coming, saying only that he would decline to cancel $50,000 of debt per person. In fact, even offering borrowers $20,000 or $10,000 of debt cancellation would be a major waste if mistargeted. A broad cancellation would offer huge, undeserved benefits to doctors, lawyers and others who do not need taxpayers to foot the bill for their valuable educations. The vast number of American taxpayers lacking university degrees would subsidize well-heeled, white-collar professionals. And it would be expensive. Simply extending the pandemic-era pause on student loan payments for four more months, which the Biden administration did this month, will cost some $20 billion.
拜登周四暗示，另一项关于免除债务的声明即将发布，只是说他将拒绝每人5万美元这样高额的免除额度。事实上，即使向借款人提供2万美元或1万美元的债务减免，如果目标不明确，也将是巨大的浪费。广泛免除将为医生、律师和其他不需要纳税人为他们昂贵的教育买单的人提供巨大的、不应有的好处。大量缺乏大学学位的美国纳税人将补贴富有的白领专业人士。而且会很贵。仅仅是像拜登政府本月所做的那样，将大流行时期暂停偿还学生贷款的时间再延长四个月，就将花费约200亿美元。
Canceling student debt has become a trendy cause in left-wing circles in part because, advocates insist, Congress delegated so much power over student loans to the executive branch that the president could make this massive change with the stroke of a pen. Mr. Biden should continue to resist these irresponsible demands, even as his administration looks for ways to offer more targeted relief. Congress, meanwhile, should make clear that high-income borrowers need no more federal help and instead put the money into college finance programs tailored to aid the needy.
免除学生贷款在左翼圈子里已经成为一项热门事业，部分原因是，支持者坚持认为，国会在学生贷款问题上赋予行政部门如此大的权力，以至于总统可以轻而易举地实现这一巨大改变。拜登应该继续抵制这些不负责任的要求，即使他的政府正在寻找方法提供更有针对性的救助。与此同时，国会应该明确表示，高收入借款人不需要更多的联邦援助，而是将资金投入为穷人量身定制的大学金融项目。