A federal appeals court blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s student debt relief plan, which would have lowered monthly payments for millions of borrowers. In a ruling Thursday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a motion for an administrative stay filed by a group of Republican-led states seeking to invalidate the administration’s entire student loan forgiveness program. The court’s order prohibits the administration from implementing the parts of the SAVE plan that were not already blocked by lower court rulings.
Quick Read
- Court Ruling: The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the implementation of the remainder of the Biden administration’s student debt relief plan, which aimed to lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers.
- Stay Granted: The court granted an administrative stay requested by Republican-led states seeking to invalidate the entire student loan forgiveness program.
- Impact on SAVE Plan: The ruling halts parts of the SAVE plan not already blocked by previous court decisions, which had previously been paused by federal judges in Kansas and Missouri.
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF): The Biden administration announced $1.2 billion in new forgiveness for 35,000 borrowers under the PSLF program on the same day, addressing issues with strict rules and servicer errors.
- Administration’s Response: The Education Department is reviewing the ruling and will continue to defend the SAVE plan, which has already benefited 8 million borrowers with lower monthly payments.
The Associated Press has the story:
Federal appeals court blocks remainder of Biden’s student debt relief plan
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
A federal appeals court blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s student debt relief plan, which would have lowered monthly payments for millions of borrowers. In a ruling Thursday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a motion for an administrative stay filed by a group of Republican-led states seeking to invalidate the administration’s entire student loan forgiveness program. The court’s order prohibits the administration from implementing the parts of the SAVE plan that were not already blocked by lower court rulings.
The ruling comes the same day that the Biden administration announced another round of student loan forgiveness, this time totaling $1.2 billion in forgiveness for roughly 35,000 borrowers who are eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
The PSLF program, which provides relief for teachers, nurses, firefighters and other public servants who make 120 qualifying monthly payments, was originally passed in 2007. But for years, borrowers ran into strict rules and servicer errors that prevented them from having their debt cancelled. The Biden administration adjusted some of the programs rules and retroactively gave many borrowers credits towards their required payments.
Two separate legal challenges to Biden’s SAVE plan have worked their way through the courts. In June, federal judges in Kansas and Missouri issued separate rulings that blocked much of the administration’s plan to provide a faster path towards loan cancellation and reduce monthly income-based repayment from 10% to 5% of a borrower’s discretionary income. Those injunctions did not affect debt that had already been forgiven.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that allowed the department to proceed with the lowered monthly payments. Thursday’s order from the 8th circuit blocks all aspects of the SAVE plan.
The Education Department said it was reviewing the ruling. “Our Administration will continue to aggressively defend the SAVE Plan — which has been helping over 8 million borrowers access lower monthly payments, including 4.5 million borrowers who have had a zero dollar payment each month,” the administration said. “And, we won’t stop fighting against Republican elected officials’ efforts to raise costs on millions of their own constituents’ student loan payments.”
