Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness Program

The Supreme Court ruled President Joe Biden did not have the authority to authorize his student loan forgiveness program in a 6-3 vote, with all three liberal Justices dissenting.

Details: Biden’s student loan forgiveness program cited authority under the HEROES Act, a post-9/11 bill that grants the Secretary of Education power to "waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to the student financial assistance programs . . . as the Secretary deems necessary in connection with a war or other military operation or national emergency." Biden cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a national emergency granting that power. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts rejected this, ruling this invocation of the HEROES Act "does not remotely resemble how it has been used on prior occasions,” adding, "The question is not whether something should be done; it is who has the authority to do it."

For Context: Biden’s student loan relief program was announced last summer. Per the New York Times (Lean Left bias), 26 million borrowers submitted applications for debt relief under the program, with 16 million applications approved by the Department of Education. The program was estimated to forgive roughly $400 billion in debt.

How the Media Covered It: The New York Times called the ruling a "resounding setback" for both Biden and borrowers and focused coverage around the impact on borrowers. Fox Business (Lean Right bias) labeled the program a "handout," and focused coverage around objections to the program from Republicans who argued the program "would be unfair to those who either paid their way through college, repaid their loans, or never attended college in the first place."