A recent story from Newsweek reported that disparaging and out of touch comments from 2024 GOP hopeful and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio on student loan debt relief elicited an outcry from other politicians. Rubio said, “[t]he day I got elected to the Senate, I had over $100,000 still in student loans that I was able to pay off because I wrote a book and from that money, I was able to pay it.”
Other politicians were quick to point out that Rubio used $20,000 of PAC money to hire a ghostwriter for this book that profited enough to pay off his student loans.
U.S. Florida Representative and Rubio opponent Val Demings contended, “Marco Rubio’s advice to Floridians struggling with student debt: become a career politician and profit off your position. I have a better idea, let’s elect someone who will actually show up and fight for Floridians.”
Newsweek: Marco Rubio Slammed After Saying He Paid Off Student Loans by Writing Book
By Fatma Khaled | August 28, 2022
Key Points:
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“Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, faced criticism online after saying on Saturday that he paid off his student loan debt from the money he gained by writing a book. ‘I owed over $100,000 in student loans. The day I got elected to the Senate, I had over $100,000 still in student loans that I was able to pay off because I wrote a book and from that money, I was able to pay it,’ the senator said during an interview on Fox News’ One Nation With Brian Kilmeade.”
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“In a reaction to his comments, Democratic Florida House Representative Anna V. Eskamani said on Twitter: ‘Interesting how Rubio forgets to mention using $20,000 from his political committee to hire a ghost writer for his memoir, which was potentially an ethics violation.’”
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“In another reaction to his comments, Representative Val Demings, a Florida Democrat, wrote: ‘Marco Rubio’s advice to Floridians struggling with student debt: become a career politician and profit off your position. I have a better idea, let’s elect someone who will actually show up and fight for Floridians.’”
Read the full report here.
Published: Aug 30, 2022