Supreme Court Rules Biden’s Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Plan Unconstitutional, Sparking Criticism from Both Sides of the Aisle

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Joe Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness plan is unconstitutional. The 6-3 decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, was the expected last day of the court’s term.

Biden had announced his plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt for more than 40 million loan holders in August 2022. The plan was authorized under the 2003 HEROES Act, passed in the wake of 9/11, to “waive” or “modify” student loan debt.

Roberts employed a “major questions” argument, a faddish right-wing legal theory that nixes usual court deference to executive branch agency. He wrote that the HEROES Act “allows the Secretary to ‘waive or modify’ existing statutory or regulatory provisions applicable to financial assistance programs under the Education Act, but does not allow the Secretary to rewrite that statute to the extent of canceling $430 billion of student loan principal.”

The decision means that the 26 million Americans who signed up for the debt forgiveness program will no longer have their debt partially or fully wiped away. The ruling is a major setback for the Biden administration, which had hoped to provide relief to millions of Americans burdened by student loan debt.

The decision has been met with criticism from both sides of the aisle, with many arguing that the ruling will only further exacerbate the student loan debt crisis. It remains to be seen how the Biden administration will respond to the ruling and whether they will be able to find a way to provide relief to those struggling with student loan debt.