Biden Vetoes Effort to Rescind His Administration’s Debt Cancellation Program
By Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA Senior Staff Reporter
President Joe Biden on Wednesday formally vetoed the resolution that would overturn his administration’s student loan forgiveness plan and immediately end the pause on federal student loan payments.
Congressional Republicans led an effort to pass a bill blocking my Administration’s plan to provide up to $20,000 in student debt relief to working and middle class Americans.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 7, 2023
I won’t back down on helping hardworking folks.
That’s why I’m vetoing this bill. pic.twitter.com/ZeYEm4LOjz
In his remarks, Biden continued to criticize lawmakers who opposed his executive action to cancel student loan debt, particularly Republican members of Congress who had their Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans canceled.
“It is a shame for working families across the country that lawmakers continue to pursue this unprecedented attempt to deny critical relief to millions of their own constituents, even as several of these same lawmakers have had tens of thousands of dollars of their own business loans forgiven by the federal government,” Biden wrote in his veto message.
Senate Republicans lambasted the veto and reminded the administration that the measure did garner bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, where few Democrats broke ranks with their caucus’ rejection of the resolution.
“On a bipartisan basis, Congress told the President his policies are irresponsible and unfair to the 87 percent of Americans who decided not to go to college, paid their way, or already responsibly paid off their loans,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who led the charge to overturn the loan cancellation program in the Senate. “The President is sending a clear message that he is willing to force these ordinary Americans to bear the burden of paying off someone else’s student debt in addition to their own bills.”
Though it’s highly unlikely Republicans could muster enough votes to override Biden’s veto, the program’s fate still hangs in the balance. The United States Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling this month, as soon as Thursday, which will determine whether the program can be implemented.
Publication Date: 6/7/2023
David S | 6/8/2023 9:54:17 AM
We are now repeatedly hearing this “...unfair to the 87 percent of Americans who decided not to go to college, [or] paid their way..." argument from one side of the aisle. Make no mistake folks, this is an argument against a public commitment to higher education. There is no "both sides" to this issue. One side supports access, one side would be happy with a return to college being for those who can afford it...and this dates back decades.
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