Biden Persists in Erasing Student Loan Debt Despite Supreme Court Setback

Despite Supreme Court Setback, Biden Continues to Erase Student Loan Debt**  

By Katie Lobosco, CNN  

Published 10:02 AM EDT, Sun October 22, 2023  

**Washington, CNN** — Despite the Supreme Court's June rejection of President Joe Biden's major student loan forgiveness initiative, his administration has successfully canceled over $48 billion in student loans using existing programs.

These programs benefit specific groups, including public sector workers, victims of for-profit college fraud, and borrowers who have made payments for 20 years. This approach contrasts with the thwarted plan which aimed to eliminate $430 billion in debt in one massive sweep. Since his tenure began, Biden has cleared $127 billion in debt for nearly 3.6 million borrowers through these avenues—marking the highest amount of forgiveness seen under any U.S. administration.

This extensive forgiveness is partly due to the administration's efforts to expand eligibility temporarily and correct previous errors in loan management, actions that starkly differ from the previous administration's restrictive policies. Nonetheless, some Republican critics deem these moves as unlawful attempts to bypass the Supreme Court's decision.

**Efforts to Rectify Past Mistakes**  

Approximately $42 billion has been forgiven for about 855,000 borrowers within income-driven repayment plans. This is largely due to an initiative correcting "past administrative failures," where the Department of Education has recalculated past payments, granting forgiveness even to those who had been misdirected into forbearance by servicers.

Despite recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office last year to improve tracking and eligibility verification for forgiveness, these issues persisted until Biden's corrective measures were implemented.

**Legal Challenges and Expansions in Relief Programs**  

Following the Supreme Court's decision, Biden announced a cancellation of $39 billion based on these account adjustments—a move that met with skepticism and legal challenges. Despite these hurdles, Biden's administration has persisted, expanding the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and streamlining relief for disabled borrowers.

The PSLF program alone has seen nearly $51 billion in debt erased for 715,000 public sector employees under Biden's expansion. These adjustments have enabled many to qualify for forgiveness sooner than previously possible.

**Conclusion**  

While facing legal opposition, the Biden administration's ongoing adjustments and expansions of loan forgiveness programs continue to provide significant debt relief, maintaining a commitment to ease the financial burden of education for millions. 

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