Here comes another student loan forgiveness scheme

The Supreme Court, by a 6-3 decision in June of last year, stopped President Joe Biden’s plan to buy votes by canceling or forgiving $400 billion of federal student loan debts for millions of Americans.  SCOTUS said Biden’s plan overstepped his authority.  The decision left borrowers on the hook for repayments.

But an unfazed Biden declared, “This fight is not over.”  He maintained that the Supreme Court couldn’t stop him from canceling or forgiving student debt.

Biden spoke at the Julian Dixon Library in Culver City, California, referencing his programs to cancel or forgive student loan debts.  He bragged that while his student debt forgiveness and cancelation programs were halted by the SCOTUS, its ruling “didn’t stop” him.”  Biden declared he would push ahead with a new debt relief plan. 

Personal observation: He’s happy to break the law.

Speaking earlier to reporters at the White House, Biden said borrowers angry about SCOTUS’s decision should blame Republicans.  He also (as usual) blamed Republican “hypocrisy” for the decision that halted his original effort.  “These Republican officials just couldn’t bear the thought of providing relief for working-class, middle-class Americans.  The hypocrisy of Republican elected officials is stunning.”  He never explained how Republican hypocrisy influenced SCOTUS’s decision.

True to his word (probably after reading several recent polls), Biden’s back with another federal student loan debt forgiveness or cancelation scheme.  This time, it’s for 78,000 public service workers.

About public service workers, Biden has said, “Dedicated public servants are the lifeblood of democracy.  They do the hard work that is essential to our country’s success — protecting us, teaching our children, keeping our streets clean and our lights on, and so much more.” 

With $6 billion in loan forgiveness or cancelation, the scheme is open to teachers, librarians, nurses, public interest lawyers, military members, and other public workers.  It cancels a borrower’s remaining student debt after ten years of public service work, or after 120 monthly payments.  The loan forgiveness announcement said public service workers who never received loan forgiveness can now have their debts partially forgiven or canceled due to fixes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.  This forgiveness scheme comes on the heels of other loan or forgiveness fixes the Biden administration says it has implemented.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.