Sinema Has Taken Over $26,000 from the Student Loan Industry, Plus $100,000 from For-Profit Schools … Today’s Vote Follows a Long Pattern of Sinema Doing the Bidding of Her Campaign Donors
Today, the Replace Sinema PAC issued a statement in response to Kyrsten Sinema joining every Senate Republican in voting to block student loan forgiveness, limit the Education Department’s ability to forgive student debt, end the pause on student loan payments, and retroactively add several months of interest to student loans that were paused.
“Kyrsten Sinema proved once again that she’ll vote for tax relief for Wall Street billionaires but not for the hardworking, everyday Arizonans drowning in student loan debt,” said Sacha Haworth, spokesperson for Replace Sinema. “Given that she has taken over $126,000 from the student loan and for-profit college industry, this behavior is no surprise: when choosing between her constituents or her donors, Sinema will choose her donors every time.”
This follows a long history of Sinema taking campaign donations from the student loan industry and doing their legislative bidding:
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Sinema has taken at least $26,000 from PACs for student loan companies, including donations from Navient and other student loan servicers, as well as the CEO of a student loan company.
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Sinema has also raised over $100,000 from for-profit schools over the course of her career.
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Sinema voted for a bill that would tie student loan rates to the market, capping rates at levels higher than they would have been if Congress had done nothing–she previously opposed the measure.
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In 2021, Sinema would not back the inclusion of free community college in Democrats’ reconciliation package.
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In November 2022, Sinema joined Republicans and voted to end COVID-19 Emergency Declaration, which has been a key tool Pres. Joe Biden has used to give student-loan borrowers relief.
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Sinema backed moderate student debt reforms, which contrasted with the more sweeping proposals backed by progressive Arizona lawmakers.
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Sinema teamed up with Mitt Romney to introduce legislation that would “reduce” student loan debt as Democrats were pushing to eliminate it; Sinema said: “Creating a college-matched savings program helps Arizona students save for school while teaching the importance of money-management.”
Sinema has come under fire recently for questionable campaign expenses, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on private jets, security details, luxury hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, European vacations, and charging her campaign for her marathon habit. The Replace Sinema PAC recently filed a 27-page complaint with the Federal Election Commission asking them to investigate whether or not Sinema’s spending is illegal.
About “Replace Sinema” / Change for Arizona 2024 PAC:
The “Replace Sinema” PAC (legal name: Change for Arizona 2024 PAC) is the only federal Super PAC focused entirely on defeating Kyrsten Sinema in the Arizona Senate race in 2024. We were one of the first PACs willing to hold Sinema accountable for her obstruction, and we laid the groundwork to prove that she could not win a Democratic primary. Now, we are focused on ensuring that Sinema cannot hurt Democrats’ chances in the 2024 election. We have called attention to Sinema’s ties to special interests, and we made waves by filing a 27-page complaint with the FEC about Sinema’s potentially illegal campaign spending. We partner with grassroots groups across Arizona, and our Advisory Council consists of organizational leaders whose groups represent tens of thousands of Arizonans. We have endorsed Ruben Gallego because he will always put Arizonans first.
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