CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined the chorus on Capitol Hill calling for the forgiveness of student loan debt for all Americans.

“It was literally easier for me to become the youngest woman in American history elected to Congress than it is to pay off my student loan debt,” the freshman Democratic congresswoman said at a news conference Monday introducing the new legislation.

“Families and people in my generation, older and younger, are not buying cars, we’re not purchasing homes, we are not building families because of the scepter that student loan debt represents on our generation. It is unjust and it is a burden that no generation before had to encounter to the scale and the level that ours has.”

"What a beautiful day to liberate ourselves from student debt. What a beautiful day to liberate our future generations from the scourge of for-profit education, & by that we also mean for-profit student loan debt."



Rep. @AOC's full remarks about bill to eliminate student debt. pic.twitter.com/4tP1ANL24b — The Hill (@thehill) June 24, 2019

The bill, introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), is the House version of the plan crafted in the Senate by Bernie Sanders, who, of course, is running for the president.

Sanders wants to cancel the $1.6 trillion of student loan debt owed by 45 million Americans. The proposal, which would be paid for through new taxes on Wall Street transactions, is part of his higher education plan, which also includes making public colleges and universities tuition free.

“What a beautiful day to liberate our future generations from the scourge of for-profit education," Ocasio-Cortez said.

Sanders’ plan goes beyond that of his fellow Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren. Earlier this year, she proposed giving $50,000 in student loan debt relief to people making under $100,000, with those earning up to $250,000 benefitting, too. Her plan would be paid for through an “ultra-millionaire tax” on people with a net worth of over $50 million.

Sanders and Warren will likely be asked about their ideas at the first Democratic primary debate later this week, albeit on different nights.