The Biden administration is fighting back as members of Congress on both sides of the aisle — and citizens left out of the windfall — rail against the president’s unconstitutional student loan forgiveness of $20,000 on Pell Grants for privileged Americans.

Late Thursday evening, the White House Twitter account began its counterattack, listing the Paycheck Protection Program loan relief enjoyed by several members of Congress, focusing on Republicans to rally Democrats around the flag.

@WhiteHouse’s tweets were elegant in their simplicity, featuring quotes from the representatives objecting to student loan forgiveness, then an identical line stating their name and how much of their small business PPP loans had been forgiven.

Congressman Vern Buchanan of Florida led the pack with $2.3 million erased, a number juxtaposed with his tweet, “Biden’s reckless, unilateral student loan giveaway is unfair to the 87 percent of Americans without student loan debt and those who played by the rules.”

By exploiting statements that focused on Mr. Biden’s unfairness to those who earned less than the arbitrary $127,000 annual threshold in either of the past two years, the administration shifted the narrative.

Congressman Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, who enjoyed $1.4 million in PPP relief, was quoted as saying, “We do not need farmers and ranchers, small business owners, and teachers in Oklahoma paying the debts of Ivy League lawyers and doctors across the U.S.”

Congressman Kevin Hern of Oklahoma said the administration had gone “after working-class Americans, raised their taxes, and forced them to pay for other people’s college degrees.” He received more than $1 million.

Congressman George Joseph “Mike” Kelly of Pennsylvania, who dumped $987,237 in debt, stated, “Asking plumbers and carpenters to pay off the loans of Wall Street advisors and lawyers isn’t just unfair. It’s also bad policy.”

This is a bad look for someone who had so much of his own debt paid off by those same toilet installers and woodworkers. And focusing on “policy” was a weak punch, sounding wonky and ephemeral to voters who might otherwise agree on the giveaway’s unfairness.

Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida also drew White House ire. Although the quote they chose mentioned only the additional $3 billion sent to Ukraine, Mr. Gaetz is under federal investigation for sex trafficking. He’s a lightning rod for Democrats and embarrassment to Republicans; citing his $482,321 gift from Uncle Sam advanced the ball for Team Biden.

The fuselage began by targeting another figure of Beltway derision, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, using a snippet of an interview where she remarked, “For our government just to say, ‘Ok, your debt is completely forgiven… it’s completely unfair.”

Ms. Greene, who had $183,504 snapped out of existence, played into the administration’s hands, since Mr. Biden is nixing only $20,000 in debt, but complete amnesty is what advocates — including the “50-Over-50” debt strikers — demand of the administration.

Furthermore, Democrats like the Senate majority leader, Charles Schumer of New York, and Senator Warren of Massachusetts sought $50,000 in relief. By saying Mr. Biden had “completely forgiven” loans, Ms. Greene made it seem that he had done just that. 

Another puck put into the Republicans’ own net.

For six months, the GOP has been banking on Mr. Biden’s low poll numbers and crises from record illegal border crossings and the recession to Afghanistan and 40-year-high inflation to deliver a midterm red wave.

Yet as Winston Churchill said of Britain’s promises of quick victory against the Boers, “Always remember, however sure you are that you can easily win, that there would not be a war if the other man did not think he also had a chance.”

Mr. Biden likes his party’s chances and has no intention of ceding territory, even on an issue as panned as writing checks to pay off loans when the Constitution grants sole spending authority to Congress.

Republicans may yet prevail in November but leaving themselves open to charges of hypocrisy is no way to win hearts and minds. They have to fight smarter to win majorities in Congress, or the White House will torch them at the ballot box even worse than they did on Twitter.