Washington – The US Supreme Court is re-examining the executive branch’s jurisdiction.
Supreme Court rulings that the US president’s policy pronouncements without congressional approval leave jurisdiction have been interpreted as confrontations between the judiciary and the executive (the president). The case before the Supreme Court this time is the Biden administration’s nearly $400 billion plan to write off federal student debt.
There has been criticism that President Biden, as a popular measure, has taken this step without consulting the legislature as a means of campaigning for the next election. Both Democratic and Republican presidents have from time to time made such announcements without facing Congress and attempted to implement them.
The trial of the case will begin in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. About 43 million Americans are expected to receive some form of relief on $1.6 trillion in federal student loans owed under the plan. Each student borrower may receive up to $20,000 in relief. It is expected that the trial and arguments will be completed by the month of June.
One of the cases going to trial on Tuesday was filed by Republican state officials and the second is part of the Trump administration’s economic stimulus measures during the coronavirus pandemic. After President Trump declared a national emergency in March 2020, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos relied on a 2003 law (The Heroes Act) to temporarily freeze repayment and interest on federal student loans.
The federal government has extended the order twice in the Trump administration and six times in the Biden administration. The Heroes Act of 2003 gave the Secretary of Education the power to cancel old loans or restructure the terms of a national emergency to prevent financial disruption to students. During his campaign, Biden said he would write off student loans of up to $10,000. But this move failed in Congress. A section of Democrats called on Biden to implement it through an executive order. For more than a year, the White House doubted whether such a measure would be legal. There was a report that Biden did not issue the executive order with full heart.
Last August, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona ordered $10,000 in student loan forgiveness for those earning less than $125,000 a year under the Heroes Act and an additional $10,000 in student loan relief for those with PellGrants.
Republican officials in six states have gone to court to overturn the plan. They argue that if the project is implemented, the financial condition of their states will be severely affected.
English Summary : Joe Biden seeks to rescue student debt forgiveness at Supreme Court