Student Loan Debt Relief Could Be Canceled By The Supreme Court
Student loan debt relief is supposed to lift a heavy burden off the back of the working and middle class. But as many as six Republican-leaning states are making financial claims and challenging the Biden administration, causing the Supreme Court to put a hold on passing the student debt relief program. This relief plan would benefit as many as 40 million people and their families.
Six states have appealed the student loan debt relief plan, stating that the relief of this debt would cause them financial harm. A federal judge in Missouri has already ruled that the case being brought forth by the six states is baseless and has no standing. The states took their appeal further and are pleading with the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Eight Circuit Court of Appeals has the power to block or allow the student debt relief plan to go through, allowing millions of families to be free from financial burden and live anew. Among the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals are 11 active judges. One appointed by Barack Obama and another by George H.W. Bush, four appointed by his son, George Bush, and five appointed by Donald Trump.
In addition to the filing against the passing of the student loan debt relief plan by the six states of Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and South Carolina, a judge in Texas ruled on a separate lawsuit and said that the relief plan was unconstitutional. This is a disappointing ruling but expected from a state such as Texas. The Biden administration has challenged this ruling and will continue forward with its plan to aid millions of Americans.
There is a temporary block on the student loan debt relief plan from going through by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals as they plan to listen to the oral arguments of the opposing party in February of next year. As so many conservative and Republican states claim to be for the American people and often say we need to put them first, it’s ironic that they are working so hard to block something that could benefit many Americans. It makes one wonder who they are really for, the American people or themselves.
People are often told they have to go to college right after graduation from high school so that they can secure a good job and begin their lives. The average cost year to attend university is around $35,000, and many people, without really knowing the weight of what they are getting into, take out student loans to pursue their higher education in hopes of succeeding in life.
In all actuality, these student loans create a debt that most people spend a lifetime trying to pay off, and the student loan debt relief program aims to eliminate that burden.
As student loan debt relief is on hold, so are the payments required for the loans in question. The Biden administration has extended the enforcement of repayment until after the court eventually rules in favor of passing the student loan debt relief plan through.
This pause in payment is another way the Biden administration is proving that they are doing everything they can to ensure that the working and middle-class people of America are taken care of in the long run.
