families. it helps both current and future bowers and will fax a badly broken system. and these actions build on my administration s efforts to make college more affordable in the first place. nbc s tom costello now with more on the plan and the mixed reaction to it. reporter: president biden fulfilling a campaign promise. cutting american student loan debt. it focuses the benefit on middle class and working families. reporter: but he s also stirred up a hornet s nest of backlash. i feel it is a little slap if the face to those who worked hard to pay it off. reporter: and from republicans who say it unfairly benefits americans who choose to go to college while ignoring those who don t. like truckers, plumbers, welders and retail workers. a lot of americans choose not to go to college. and then there are those americans who bought money to pay for school and paid it back. in what way is it fair to those taxpayers? reporter: many also argument the president exce
his new show on peacock that explores how we could avert impending global disasters. that is all ahead. but we begin with president biden s ambitious plan to cncel thousands of student loan debt for millions of borrowers. 43 million people are set to have a portion of their student loan debt erased and 20 million could clear all of their student debt following yesterday s executive action by the president. he acknowledged it is not a perfect solution but called it a responsible step toward addressing a broken system. not everything i m announcing today is going to make everybody happy. something is too much, i find it interesting how some of hi republican friends who voted for those tax cuts and others think that we shouldn t be helping these folks. something is too little. but i believe my plan is responsible and fair. and it focuses the benefit on middle class and working