(UnitedVoice.com) – President Joe Biden implemented student loan debt relief for millions of Americans in August 2022. Borrowers with outstanding debt would be given either $10,000 or $20,000, depending on whether or not they received a Pell Grant while they were going to college and met certain income requirements.
Republicans immediately filed lawsuits against the president and a federal judge stopped the policy from going into effect. As United Voice previously reported, on June 1, the Senate passed a resolution 52-to-46 to eliminate the debt relief program. The upper chamber’s vote came a little over a week after the House of Representatives passed a similar measure. Now the president has taken action regarding the legislation.
Biden Pulls Out His Red Pen
On June 7, the White House Briefing Room released a statement from President Biden to the House of Representatives. The POTUS said he issued a veto for H.J. Res. 45, which would have killed the Department of Education’s student loan measures.
The president said his administration is “fighting to make college cheaper and the student loan system more manageable” for those who borrowed money to go to school. He explained that in addition to the debt relief program, his administration increased the amount of money students qualified for when they were awarded Pell Grants and put better repayment plans in place.
Biden went on to say the need for student loan debt “relief is undeniable” and said that 26 million people applied for the program in less than four weeks when it was in effect. He also told lawmakers that he remains “committed to continuing to make college affordable.”
Election Elephant
The Supreme Court will soon issue a decision about whether the student loan relief program is legal. When the government argued in front of the high court in February, reports indicated the justices didn’t seem too convinced that the program was legally sound. But how they are going to rule remains to be seen.
While this is all going on, Biden is involved in his reelection campaign. If the SCOTUS rules in his favor, that could drive young voters out to the poll and possibly help him be reelected. That’s especially important given his persistently low approval numbers. FiveThirtyEight shows his disapproval rating is 54.7%, while his approval rating is just 40.9%. The website also shows the president is struggling in the 2024 polls, appearing to be neck-and-neck with both former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The court is expected to hand down its decision before the justices recess for the summer.
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