WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Supreme Court blocked President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. In a 6-3 ruling, the Court said Biden’s plans overstepped the powers of the education department.
Soon after the Supreme Court ruled against President Biden’s proposal to cancel up to 20-thousand dollars for student loan borrowers, people gathered outside the Court. They shared their disapproval of the Court’s decision.
“I was disheartened,” said Satra Taylor, with the Young Invincibles, a group that supports student loan forgiveness. “I had hoped- anyone could tell you- that we believed we were gonna win on standing and then when I heard I wasn’t surprised after what happened yesterday with race conscious admissions its clear this is not a normal court as what the president Biden shared.”
The majority of the crowd, except for this one man, was in favor of the president’s plan.
In the Court’s decision, Chief Justice John Roberts writes that a mass debt cancellation program like the one the president proposed required approval by congress.
“The president of the United States on his own does not have the authority to do what he did,” said Rep. Mike Kelly (R- PA).
Before the Court issued this ruling, we spoke with Rep. Kelly about student loan cancellation.
“The idea- it was flat out an effort to win an election and get votes and to somehow make the other party look like they don’t care about education or the people the debt they’re getting,” said Rep. Kelly. “Flat out wrong. All political. Had nothing to do with policy.”
Out of the roughly 40-million Americans who have student loan debt, we’re told 26 million borrowers applied for relief. If the Court sided with the president, it would’ve wiped nearly 400-billion worth in student loans.
“President Biden has alternatives that he can pursue whether that is through the higher education act or an executive order,” said Taylor. “And so we will ask the president to continue to fulfil his promise to the 40 million American borrowers.”
