After having millions of dollars in personal debts wiped clean through multiple bankruptcies, Utah Republican Rep. Burgess Owens has a suggestion for struggling student loan borrowers: Get a second job.
During a recent podcast interview with host John Solomon, Owens celebrated the move by the Trump administration to end the pause on student loan repayments that started during the Biden administration.
“When you come down to what our culture, what our culture is all about, we believe in accountability. We believe in keeping our word,” Owens said.
The Trump administration has restarted collections on defaulted student loans, and the massive tax cuts and spending bill passed by Congress in July put limits on options borrowers have for repaying those loans.
Owens has been one of the most vocal opponents of the government providing relief for student borrowers. He railed against the Biden administration’s efforts to forgive student loans, calling the program “unconstitutional.” He also signed on to an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to overturn the program, which they eventually did.
He acknowledged that the changes might cause some anxiety for some who have difficulty repaying the debt but says it will lead to more personal accountability.
“There’s stress that comes with that. Obviously there’s sleepless nights. There’s long days. But then you realize, maybe I need to go out and get a second job.”
“Once that gets back into our American way, then across the board in every industry that’s gonna start to happen. When people start thinking more about what can I do instead of what somebody can do for me, once we get back to that, then it’s truly an intergenerational legacy we need to continue to pass on.”
Owens call for personal responsibility in repaying debts seems hypocritical given his own financial history. Court records show Owens has filed for personal bankruptcy at least five times between the 1990s and 2000s.
- In 1991, Owens filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in New York. The case was closed in 1999.
- In 2005, Owens again filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, this time in Pennsylvania. Creditors claimed he owed $1.7 million. Owens paid $200,000 and the remaining debt was discharged.
- Owens filed for Chapter 13 protection three times. All of those debts were discharged.
On Owens’ most recent financial disclosure report, he lists an outstanding loan for his daughter to attend Syracuse University with an outstanding balance of between $100,000 and $250,000. That amount has increased recently. On his 2022 disclosure, Owens estimated he owed between $50,000 and $100,000 on the loan.
Also in the interview, Owens heaped praise on President Donald Trump’s economic policies, repeatedly referring to Trump as a “genius.”
“We have literally a genius when it comes to business ownership. A genius when it comes down to negotiating. And more importantly, a business owner who loves our country. He’s putting all the years and decades of success into making sure our country works the same way.”
Owens also was effusive about the tariffs President Trump slapped on goods coming into the U.S. But he falsely claimed that those tariffs are paid for by foreign countries, which would lead to economic prosperity for the middle class.
“We have this remarkable consumer base…This middle class is worth other countries paying a price to enter to, to be engaged with, and that’s what our president finally sees.”
Tariffs are a tax on imports that are paid for by the importer, which in this case is American companies. At least some of the costs of those tariffs are being passed on to consumers through rising prices.
