Presidential hopefuls Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were out in full force over the weekend, promising more taxpayer-funded initiatives in hopes of making themselves stand out in the menagerie of Democratic presidential candidates.
Sanders on Monday will reportedly introduce legislation that would eliminate all $1.6 trillion in both private and public student loan debt held by Americans. In addition, he will also push to make college "free" in the same bill, dubbed the College For All Act, a move that will reportedly be funded by new taxes on the financial sectors of the economy.
The move is a one-up on Warren's proposal to clear out around $700 billion in student loan debt for certain borrowers, but not all.
In response, Warren brought out the progressive gloves and is now pushing a new effort for her campaign: giving back-taxes to gay couples who she says were charged too much by the government before they were allowed to legally get married.
Here's Warren's justification for her Refund Equality Act, which comes with a minimum price tag of $53 million according to NBC:
The federal government forced legally married same-sex couples in Massachusetts to file as individuals and pay more in taxes for almost a decade. We need to call out that discrimination and to make it right — Congress should pass the Refund Equality Act immediately.
Al this, of course, as the government continues to rack up dollars on our alrady-existing debt.