(ReliableNews.org) – On April 8, President Joe Biden announced new plans to provide student debt relief to more than 30 million Americans. The initiative is one of many launched by the Biden Administration stretching as far back as August 2022. While the president has accomplished some of the relief he set out to give, it hasn’t come without some bumps in the road — lawsuits and court rulings. Still, Biden has persisted and some say the timing of his recent effort is so he can buy young votes in an election year.
Student Relief Details
The administration said Biden was traveling to Wisconsin to announce the plan while Vice President Kamala Harris was taking the message to Philadephia, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff to Phoenix, and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to the Big Apple. If finalized, borrowers whose interest has exceeded the amount originally borrowed could see up to $20,000 in relief. Middle and lower-income borrowers enrolled in the president’s SAVE plan or an income-driven repayment plan could see their entire balance disappear. The administration said the plan would “forgive interest balances built up to date for 25 million borrowers,” cancel debt for 4 million, and knock off at least $5,000 for 10 million more. The Department of Education added that the plan would also eliminate debt for over two million borrowers who have been paying for at least 20 years. It also detailed state-by-state statistics of forgiveness from the Biden administration over time, citing the impact of the majority of the $146 billion in approved relief.
Reactions
Eric Hovde, a Republican Wisconsin Senate Candidate, was outraged by the announcement. The lawmaker told Fox News that the forgiveness plan isn’t fair to those who have never been to college, those who had to pay their loans in full, students who had to work their way through higher education, or their parents who also worked to pay for their kid’s degree. Republican Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw flat out said that Biden was simply giving out “free stuff” to trick voters into supporting him when he ultimately won’t be able to deliver. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach told Fox News he was filing a lawsuit to stop the new plan.
The Supreme Court already struck down some of the president’s earlier efforts for student debt relief, stating his administration was overreaching. However, officials say this effort is relying on a different law that fits with the previous SCOTUS decision. Student Borrower Protection Center policy director Aissa Canchola Banez even said the new plan offers a way to “deal with” the Supreme Court using the “law and delivering for working people.”
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