That decision, predictably, led to dozens of Republicans and conservative talking heads criticizing the administration's decision to make good on a campaign promise. Typically, the White House Twitter account is subdued, tweeting out press conferences, speeches, and infographics. On this occasion, they decided to hit back, quote tweeting Republican politicians who criticized the plan by pointing out the ones who had Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans forgiven for their businesses.
On Thursday, the account pointed out the hypocrisy of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said the government forgiving loans was “completely unfair.” The White House Twitter account noted that Taylor Greene had $183,504 in PPP loans erased by the government.
The account then slammed Vern Buchanan, who had tweeted out that the “loan giveaway is unfair to the 87 percent of Americans without student loan debt,” by pointing out that the Republican congressman had over $2.3 million in PPP loans forgiven.
The account also tweeted that Congressman Markwayne Mullin received $1.4 million in PPP loan forgiveness and Congressman Mike Kelly likewise had $987,237 in PPP loans forgiven. Both congressmen have criticized student loan forgiveness.
Conservatives taking advantage of PPP loans were not limited to politicians. According to The Intercept, multiple conservative groups, including Prager University Foundation, the Ayn Rand Institute, and Americans for Tax Reform, all took advantage of PPP loans during the pandemic.