Supreme Court Rules 6-3 Against President Biden’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan, Denying Relief to 40 Million Americans

The Supreme Court on Friday ruled 6-3 against President Joe Biden’s student loan debt relief plan, meaning the long-delayed proposal intended to implement a campaign trail promise will not go into effect. The decision by the court’s conservative majority denies relief to 40 million Americans who stood to have up to $20,000 in student debt wiped away under the plan.

The ruling invalidates the president’s plan to forgive nearly half-a-trillion dollars in student loan debt. The court found that federal law does not allow the program to provide relief to recipients of student loans when there is a “national emergency”.

The court’s decision was based on a law known as the HEROES Act, which allows the government to act to ensure people are not in “a worse position financially” as a result of the national emergency. The court found that the secretary of education did not have the power to forgive student loan debt under this law.

The ruling is a major setback for President Biden, who had promised to provide relief to millions of Americans struggling with student loan debt. The decision means that millions of Americans will continue to be burdened with student loan debt, despite the president’s efforts to provide relief.