Forgiving Student Debt Would Boost Economy, Economists Say

Chris Arnold of National Public Radio reported on economists’ latest views on student debt proposals from presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren Nov. 25: “Economists say the dramatic proposals from Sanders and Warren to free millions of Americans from the burden of student debt could boost the economy in significant ways and help combat income inequality.” Arnold added, “The reason debt forgiveness could have a big impact on the overall economy is that a generation of Americans is making major life decisions differently because of student loans.” Arnold provided input from William Foster, a vice president with Moody’s, which recently reported on student debt forgiveness and Lawrence Yun, the National Association of Realtors chief economist. Yun said, “Home sales could be, say, 300,000 higher annually if people were not saddled with large student debt” which would be “a boost to the housing sector as well as the economy.”