The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule by the end of June on a Biden administration plan that would forgive up to $20,000 in student loans for Americans with individual incomes of less than $125,000. However, Congress has acted today to block Biden's student debt relief program before the court issues its decision.
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday decided to proceed with a vote today on a House resolution that would repeal the debt relief plan. Today's 52-46 vote to pass the legislation is considered largely symbolic because President Biden has promised to veto the legislation if it does pass. The House passed the bill along party lines last week, although two Democrats voted with Republican lawmakers.
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The legislation would nullify various recent Biden-led efforts at relief, including the latest extension to the pause on student loan payments. The payments, which have been on hold since the onset of the pandemic under former President Donald Trump, already are set to resume in coming months.
Related: Supreme Court ruling will allow relief for some student loans
Republicans have denounced Biden's plan as a bailout for people who don't deserve it, at the expense of working-class Americans who lack college degrees or people who borrowed money and already repaid their debts.
"It is important to note his student debt 'forgiveness' plan does not actually forgive or cancel debt," Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said. "It only transfers the burden from those who willingly chose to take out debt to attend college to those who chose not to go to college or already worked to pay off their loans. Making these taxpayers responsible for the debts of others is as irresponsible as it is unfair."
The administration disagreed. "This resolution is an unprecedented attempt to undercut our historic economic recovery and would deprive more than 40 million hardworking Americans of much-needed student debt relief," the White House said.
Separately, Biden also managed to exclude a repeal of his student loan forgiveness plan from a compromise government spending bill to raise the debt ceiling. House Republicans previously had passed a debt ceiling bill that would have eliminated Biden's student debt relief plan. However, the compromise bill codifies the end of the student loan pause, infuriating student loan borrower advocacy groups.
About 26 million people applied for Biden's mass relief program before the lawsuits froze it from proceeding. Of those, 16 million were approved to have a portion or all of their debt erased, depending on their balance.
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Alan Goforth
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
