White House Tweets Go Viral for Highlighting Hypocrisy of GOP Lawmakers Complaining About Student Debt Relief

Republican Representative from Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene holds a press conference to say she visited the Holocaust Museum and wanted to express remorse for comparing mask-wearing to the Holocaust outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 14 June 2021

JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

The official White House Twitter account won’t let a few lawmakers raid on its student loan forgiveness parade.

On Thursday night, @WhiteHouse enjoyed a viral moment following a series of matter-of-fact tweets that called out House representatives for criticizing the principle of debt cancellation even though they had personally benefited from PPP loan forgiveness.

The Twitter thread began with a clip of Florida Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaking on Newsmax, where she says that it’s “completely unfair” for the government to use taxpayer money to cancel a portion of student loans. The White House shared the video with the caption, “Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had $183,504 in PPP loans forgiven.”

Next, they went for Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan, who had tweeted a clip of him speaking on Fox Business about it being “outrageous” that the federal government would bail out students. “Congressman Vern Buchanan had over $2.3 million in PPP loans forgiven,” the White House wrote.

RELATED: White House Says Biden’s Targeted Student Debt Relief Will Allow Millions to ‘Live the Middle-Class Life’

Oklahoma Reps. Markwayne Mullin and Kevin Hern tweeted that the American people should not be responsible for funding others’ educations. According to the White House, Mullin received more than $1.4 million in aid for his PPP loans, and Hern received more than $1 million.

Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly, who suggested that plumbers and carpenters are now responsible for paying off Wall Street advisers’ loans, had $987,237 in PPP loans forgiven, according to the White House.

Finally, the White House called out embattled Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who criticized the money that the Biden administration allocated for aiding Ukrainians in their ongoing war with Russia. Gaetz, the official Twitter account wrote, received $482,321 in PPP loan forgiveness.

RELATED: Biden Administration Will Cancel Up to $20,000 in Student Debt for Borrowers Based on Income, Type of Grant

Receiving assistance to pay off PPP loans is not criminal — or scandalous — as it’s part of a formal program through the Small Business Association, a government agency. But in highlighting how much GOP lawmakers have benefited from loan forgiveness programs themselves, the White House demonstrated that debt assistance is common.

Story continues

Unlike with the PPP loan forgiveness program, Biden’s student debt cancellation plan caps aid at $10,000 for most borrowers, and $20,000 for those with greater financial need. It also requires recipients to make less than $125,000 per year so that the wealthiest Americans are not the ones getting the boost.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.

“Nearly 90% of the benefits of the Biden Administration’s student loan debt relief will go to borrowers earning less than $75,000,” the White House tweeted on Wednesday in an earlier attempt to claim hypocrisy. “Meanwhile, 85% of the benefits of Congressional Republicans’ tax cut went to taxpayers earning more than $75,000.”

The White House did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.