Despite a judge’s order last week issuing a temporary stay on President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans, the White House is still urging borrowers to apply for forgiveness.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said federal student loan borrowers are still encouraged to go to studentaid.gov to apply for loan forgiveness.
The judge’s stay came after six Republican-led states filed a lawsuit attempting to stop Biden’s plan from going into effect. A lower court had ruled the states did not have standing, but an appeals court granted the stay.“What I can say: It's a temporary order, and we're going to do everything that we can to continue to do our outreach and make sure that people apply,” Jean-Pierre said.
“A significant majority of Americans have already paid off their student loans or chose not to pursue higher education at all,” said Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. “By forcing them to pay for other people’s loans – regardless of income – President Biden’s mass debt cancellation punishes these Americans and belittles the path they chose. This expensive, unlawful plan is an insult to working people and must be stopped.
Government data shows that in the last three decades, the cost of attending a public university, which is generally far more affordable than a private one, has doubled. In the last 40 years, the cost has tripled.