Pressley 'encouraged' by latest round of student debt relief but wants broader action

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley said she's "encouraged" by the Biden administration's latest round of student loan forgiveness but plans to keep pushing for broader debt relief.

Speaking with Radio Boston host Tiziana Dearing on Friday, Pressley said she appreciated the progress the administration has made in debt forgiveness following a Supreme Court ruling overturning an executive order that would have canceled or reduced $400 billion of student loan debt student loan debt for borrowers nation wide.

Still, she said, more loan forgiveness is needed.

"I will never give short shrift to the difference it has made in this targeted relief," said Pressely. "But I'm going to continue to advocate for broad-based student debt relief because the executive action we pushed the president to take would have benefited 43 million Americans."

About 800,000 borrowers in Massachusetts would have qualified for some loan forgiveness from Biden's initial plan. In this recent iteration of debt relief, called SAVE plan, an estimated 2,500 in the commonwealth will see student debt erased.

Pressley also discussed health care during her interview, offering her thoughts on Steward Health Care's financial struggles. The troubled for-profit company operates two hospitals in her district.

"This is a public health crisis," said Pressley of the health care company's potential withdrawal from the state. "For communities across the commonwealth, it's going to threaten access to care for our most vulnerable, place undue burdens on our already struggling health care system, and honestly, it's really just a damning example of how private equity ownership and a for profit health care system damages our health care system and puts people's lives at risk."