Ro Khanna urges Biden to seek Supreme Court solution for student loans.

Rep. Ro Khanna Supports President Biden’s Efforts to Overcome Supreme Court Decision on Student Debt Relief

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) expressed his support for President Joe Biden’s determination to find a solution to the Supreme Court’s ruling that deemed his student debt relief program unconstitutional. The court’s decision, with a 6-3 majority, opposed the president’s plan to eliminate approximately $400 billion in student debt by canceling $10,000 of federal student loans for borrowers earning under $125,000 annually and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers filed a lawsuit on behalf of his state against the program, receiving support from Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolina.

White House Invokes Higher Education Act

“I am pleased that the White House is invoking the Higher Education Act,” Khanna stated during an interview on ABC’s This Week. “As you know, Justice Roberts explicitly stated in the opinion that it has no bearing on the Higher Education Act.”

The Supreme Court’s decision comes as the nearly three-year moratorium on student loan payments is set to end soon. Interest will begin accruing again on September 1, with payments becoming due in October.

“I do hope that the White House will ensure that interest does not accrue starting in September,” Khanna continued. “I know the president has stated that he will not refer students to credit agencies. Additionally, I believe that under the Higher Education Act, he has the power to halt interest accrual.”

Democrats from various ideological backgrounds strongly criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling and have pledged to take further action to provide relief to Americans struggling with student debt.

Sen. Bernie Sanders Urges Immediate Implementation of a Plan B

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released a statement on Friday urging the Biden administration to “implement a Plan B immediately to cancel student debt for tens of millions of Americans who are struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, and cover basic necessities of life.” Sanders emphasized that Biden has the authority, as outlined in the Higher Education Act of 1965, to cancel student debt.

“[Biden] must use this authority immediately,” Sanders, a leading progressive, asserted. “As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, I will do everything I can to ensure that the more than 40 million Americans drowning in student debt receive the relief that was promised to them as soon as possible.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) echoed Sanders’s call, tweeting, “It is very important to note this SCOTUS ruling does NOT remove Biden’s ability to pursue student loan forgiveness. The Biden Admin can use the HEA (Higher Ed Act) — our position from the start — to continue loan forgiveness before payments resume. They should do so ASAP.”

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