A Republican’s Debt-Forgiveness Plan Sounds Great. But What Comes Next?

A. Wayne Johnson, a high-ranking official with the U.S. Department of Education, got a lot of attention on Thursday for his campaign proposal to forgive up to $50,000 per person in federal student-loan debt. The plan, announced as Johnson resigned his position to seek appointment to a soon-vacant U.S. Senate seat from Georgia, would also award a grant of that amount to future students to pay for various kinds of postsecondary education.