How Biden finally got to "yes" on canceling student debt

One person familiar with the administration’s thinking said that Biden was committed to making good on his campaign promise to cancel $10,000 of debt but that he drew a red line on the need to target the relief to borrowers who needed it the most — and away from higher-earning borrowers who did not…

An Oval Office meeting in May between Biden and that trio of senators — Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) , and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) — brought another turning point, according to several people familiar with the deliberations.

“That’s where it became clear he would do something, and then it was about pushing on the details,” said a Democratic aide familiar with the discussions. Administration officials after the meeting began discussing debt cancellation more seriously and trading proposals for how to structure the program within the parameters Biden set, including the requirement for some type of income limit.

Schumer would go on to say that he called the White House “50 to 100 times” on the issue, adding that he spoke to Biden as late as the night before the announcement.