While some local students rejoice following the forgiveness of thousands of dollars in loans being canceled by the Biden administration, politicians divided along party lines on what the decision could mean for the next generation.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, said in a release that this important step clears the way for many Americans.

“This will give (students) the freedom to invest in their future, buy a home, or take a risk and start a business,” he said. “It’s an important first step forward in helping borrowers saddled with student debt. Moving forward, we must work to lower the skyrocketing costs of college so that future students are able to get an education without signing up for a lifetime of debt.”

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, said in a news release that this decision will ultimately affect taxpayers.

“This decision will have wide-reaching, negative ramifications across America’s economy, including increasing already disastrous inflation, exacerbating America’s spending problems, and encouraging higher education institutions to raise the cost of going to college,” he said. “Taxpayers will foot the bill for this massive expenditure, including the vast majority of Americans who already paid off their loans, paid for tuition out of pocket, or do not even have post-secondary education.”

Other Republicans representing Butler County agreed with Toomey.

State Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, said the program will cause people in the workforce to bear the burden of potential tax increases and could cause the economy to suffer.

“There are many people in our community who made the choice not to go to college, many because of cost, who will now be saddled with the fiscal responsibility for people who chose to take on massive amounts of debt knowing that the return on this investment would be minimal and their salaries would not cover the cost of the degree for many years,” she said.

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, also said in a news release that he considers the forgiveness plan as unfair to taxpayers.

“Asking plumbers and carpenters to pay off the loans of Wall Street advisers and lawyers isn’t just unfair; it’s also bad policy,” he said. “Let’s be clear: Any student loan forgiveness proposals should come through Congress, not through executive order.”