White House urges borrowers to apply for student debt relief despite court order

The Biden administration is urging student loan borrowers to continue applying for debt relief despite a federal appeals court order late on Friday that temporarily halted this program.

“[This] temporary order does not prevent borrowers from applying for student debt relief,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement following the eighth circuit court of appeals’ temporary stay.

This temporary stay mandates that Biden’s administration not act on the program while it weighs a legal challenge. The appeals court’s decision stems from a motion brought by six Republican-led states which are seeking to block Biden’s program.