President Joe Biden outlined a new round of federal student loan forgiveness on Wednesday to address the 㽶Ƶֱunsustainable debt㽶Ƶֱ that borrowers accumulate to complete their college education.
The announcement comes as borrowers brace for after a three-year pause that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and Biden tries to fulfill his campaign promises on debt relief as he runs for reelection.
The Democratic president㽶Ƶֱs latest step will help 125,000 borrowers by erasing $9 billion in debt through existing programs. In total, 3.6 million borrowers will have had $127 billion in debt wiped out since Biden took office.
㽶ƵֱWe㽶Ƶֱre not done yet,㽶Ƶֱ Biden said in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.
He pledged to help alleviate the burden of student debt while running for president, and he㽶Ƶֱs been under pressure to follow through even though was overturned by the conservative majority on .
Biden said the decision was responsible for 㽶Ƶֱsnatching from the hands of millions of Americans thousands of dollars of student debt relief that was about to change their lives.㽶Ƶֱ
He has been relying on a patchwork of different programs to chip away at debt, such as announced last year, which lowers payments by tying them to borrowers㽶Ƶֱ income.
㽶ƵֱMy administration is doing everything we can to deliver student debt relief to as many as we can, as fast as we can,㽶Ƶֱ Biden said.
㽶ƵֱWhile a college degree is still the ticket toward a better life, that ticket has become excessively expensive. Americans who are saddled with unsustainable debt in exchange for a college degree has become the norm,㽶Ƶֱ he said.
Some of Biden㽶Ƶֱs efforts have involved bolstering existing programs, like .
㽶ƵֱFor years, millions of eligible borrowers were unable to access the student debt relief they qualified for, but that㽶Ƶֱs all changed thanks to President Biden and this administration㽶Ƶֱs relentless efforts to fix the broken student loan system,㽶Ƶֱ Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement.
Additional debt forgiveness could help alleviate the impact of the long-scheduled this month, which will put a dent in tens of millions of family budgets. But it is unlikely to undermine the economy㽶Ƶֱs strength in the long term even though analysts at BNP Paribas estimated it could take $100 billion out of consumers㽶Ƶֱ pockets and slow overall growth during the final three months of this year.
Republicans have fought Biden㽶Ƶֱs plans on student debt, but Wednesday㽶Ƶֱs announcement comes as they㽶Ƶֱre on Capitol Hill. Hard-right Republicans forced a vote that ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as House speaker, leaving the chamber in chaos.
In addition, the NAACP is pushing Biden to expand debt forgiveness by allowing Parent PLUS loans, which parents use for their children㽶Ƶֱs college education, to be eligible for the SAVE Plan.
㽶ƵֱHistorically, education has been viewed as an entry point for marginalized communities to achieve upward mobility and begin building generational wealth,㽶Ƶֱ NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement that emphasized the disproportionate impact of debt on Black families. 㽶ƵֱIt is unconscionable that, in their quest to provide their children with a brighter future, Black parents have fallen victim to a system that preys on their inherent disadvantage.㽶Ƶֱ
Chris Megerian, The Associated Press