Crapo, Risch, Colleagues: No Student Loan Bailouts for Campus Criminals

Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) joined Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) to introduce the No Bailouts for Campus Criminals Act, legislation preventing any pro-Hamas protestor on college campuses convicted of a crime from having their student loans forgiven.  The bill comes after widespread, antisemitic protests continue to spread on college campuses across the United States.

“This legislation sends a strong message that criminal activity will not be tolerated on America’s college campuses, especially when it promotes antisemitism,” said Crapo.  “Likewise, student loan forgiveness schemes introduced by the Biden Administration burden taxpayers with more of our nation’s exorbitant student loan debt.  We must ensure we do not compound bad ideas by rewarding criminal protesters with student loan forgiveness.”

“The president’s entire student loan scheme is a political handout, and the idea that the handout will go to extremists sympathizing with terrorists is even more egregious,” said Risch.  “These handouts cannot happen.”

  “Americans who never went to college or responsibly paid off their debts shouldn’t have to pay off other people’s student loans,” said Cotton. “They especially shouldn’t have to pay off the loans of Hamas sympathizers shutting down and defacing campuses.”

U.S. Representative Brandon Williams (R-New York) is leading companion legislation in the House.

“Violent campus protestors laughably demand respect, amnesty, and even takeout food,” said Williams.  “Our bicameral bill ensures that not one student protestor convicted of criminal offenses is bailed out by student loan forgiveness.  Not one dime of taxpayer money will fund these criminals.”

Crapo, Risch and Cotton are joined by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) in sponsoring the legislation.

Text of the bill may be found here.