Republicans Want to Be Repaid for Biden Student Loan Forgiveness

Eleven states filed a lawsuit this week against President Joe Biden's recent $156 billion student debt forgiveness plan, stemming from last year's rejection of the president's reprieve pitch.

Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas and Utah are also asking to be repaid for Biden's Saving on a Valuable Education Plan (SAVE) loan forgiveness. All 11 states either fully or partially backed former Republican President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election—one of Nebraska's three congressional districts supported Biden, a Democrat.

The president's $156 billion plan was outlined last month as a smaller attempt than his prior $430 billion student debt erasure initiative from last year. Initially, Biden was seeking $10,000 in federal student loan debt forgiveness for the majority of borrowers and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.

After a similar group of states sued against that debt forgiveness plan, the Department of Education had to suspend its plans and has since been pursuing a new version of the forgiveness plan.