Say it ain’t so! According to The Hill, a federal appeals court has temporarily blocked President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program from continuing following an appeal from six Republican-led states. Reports state that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled Friday that the policy to cancel thousands of dollars in student loan debt should be put on hold while challenges play out.
Roommates, as you know, President Biden’s plan would cancel up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers earning less than $125,000 per year. Those who received Pell Grants could receive up to $20,000 in relief. We’ll give you the tea if you haven’t been keeping up with all the news about student loan forgiveness. The attorney general initially filed the lawsuit in September, arguing that the Biden administration does not have the authority to cancel student loan debt because Congress did not authorize it. However, U.S. District Judge Henry Autry ruled that they did not demonstrate they were directly harmed by the relief, which is needed to meet the standard of having standing.
Judge Henry Autry also noted that they presented “important and significant” challenges to Biden’s plan. President Biden has been very vocal about canceling student loan debt. Earlier today, he called out Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia while at Delaware State University.
He said, “Ted Cruz, the great senator from Texas, said it’s for slackers — quote slackers — who don’t deserve relief. Who the hell do they think they are? I don’t want to hear it from MAGA Republican officials who had hundreds of thousands of dollars of debts, even millions of dollars, in pandemic relief loans forgiven, who now are attacking me for helping working- and middle-class Americans,” he said.
President Biden added, “Marjorie Taylor Green, she and her husband got $180,000 in business loans forgiven from the [Paycheck Protect Program]. She said it’s completely unfair to us to forgive loans for working- and middle-class Americans.” Roommates, we will keep you updated as more information as it becomes available.
