Biden student loan plans partially reined in — but still alive for election
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President Joe Biden‘s plans to cancel student loan debt have been partially blocked thanks to a pair of court rulings, but the matter remains alive for both sides in the 2024 election.
Responding to lawsuits filed by a pair of Republican attorneys general, federal judges in Missouri and Kansas ruled this week that Biden’s Saving on a Valuable Education program cannot be fully implemented, temporarily pausing major elements until the case is decided.
That means millions of people with student loans who were set to have them reduced or even completely written off may no longer receive that benefit. The rulings are not final, but the freeze is the latest setback for Biden after the Supreme Court decided a prior iteration of student loan cancellation exceeded his authority last year.
The White House responded to the court decisions by blaming Republicans and “special interests” opposed to Biden’s agenda. But the statement by press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also underscores the ways in which the president is determined to make student debt a campaign issue as he runs for a second term.
He has struggled with support from young voters, in part due to his handling of the war in Gaza, but student loans are one domestic matter that could appeal to the largely Democratic group.
