Flouting A Rebuke From The Supreme Court, Biden Doubles Down On Buying Votes With Taxpayer Money

Having Already Saddled Taxpayers With $138 Billion Of Loan Forgiveness, Biden Is Set To Announce An Even ‘More Far-Reaching’ Effort

“The Biden administration is proposing a sweeping initiative to slash student debt for nearly 30 million Americans, a plan likely to face legal challenges from Republicans who helped kill an earlier White House attempt at large-scale loan cancellation.” (“Biden’s Student-Loan Plan Seeks to Slash Debt for 30 Million Americans,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/08/2024)

·         “At the center of the new effort is a proposal to help borrowers whose student debt has ballooned larger than their initial loan principal because of accruing interest. The administration is proposing to cancel up to $20,000 in interest charges. Individual borrowers who earn $120,000 or less and married couples who make $240,000 or less are eligible for forgiveness of the entire amount that their loan balance has increased beyond the principal.” (“Biden’s Student-Loan Plan Seeks to Slash Debt for 30 Million Americans,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/08/2024)

“Since the Supreme Court blocked the first effort, the White House has used existing regulations to waive $138 billion in student loan debts for about four million borrowers. The new plan is more far-reaching than those efforts …” (“Biden To Announce Student Debt Relief For Millions In Swing-State Pitch,” The New York Times, 4/08/2024)

Biden Wants Americans To Know He Doesn’t Care That The Supreme Court Struck Down His Last Sweeping Loan Forgiveness Scheme

“Republican state attorneys general are already making plans to challenge the program in court. GOP state officials led a successful effort to overturn Biden’s earlier plan, which sought to forgive up to $20,000 in student debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year. The Supreme Court ruled last year that Biden overstepped his authority in pursuing such wide-ranging loan cancellation.” (“Biden’s Student-Loan Plan Seeks to Slash Debt for 30 Million Americans,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/08/2024)

·         “The administration contends that it has the authority to forgive student debt on a massive scale through executive action without explicit approval from Congress.” (“Biden’s New Student-Loan Forgiveness Plan: Who Qualifies and How It Would Work,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/08/2024)

·         “Chief Justice John Roberts in the June ruling that killed Biden’s earlier loan-forgiveness plan wrote that the Higher Education Act allows the education secretary ‘to cancel or reduce loans in certain limited circumstances,’ indicating that the court’s majority is skeptical of a broad interpretation of the law.” (“Biden’s Student-Loan Plan Seeks to Slash Debt for 30 Million Americans,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/08/2024)

“After the Supreme Court overturned his first loan plan, Biden pledged to try again using a different legal authority, the Higher Education Act of 1965. The statute gives the education secretary authority to waive ‘any right, title, claim, lien, or demand, however acquired.’” (“Biden’s Student-Loan Plan Seeks to Slash Debt for 30 Million Americans,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/08/2024)

Biden: ‘The Supreme Court Blocked It. They Blocked It. But That Didn’t Stop Me’

PRESIDENT BIDEN: “Look, early in my term, I announced a major plan to provide millions of working families with debt relief for their college student debt.” (Pres. Biden, Remarks, 2/21/2024)

·         BIDEN: “And the Supreme Court blocked it. They blocked it. But that didn’t stop me.”  (Pres. Biden, Remarks, 2/21/2024)

·         BIDEN: “We’ve got a lot more to do, but with the help of all of you college graduates who — who have paid off your student loans now, I’m confident we’re going to get it all done.” (Pres. Biden, Remarks, 2/21/2024)

·         “‘I went to the Supreme Court to eliminate student debt out there,’ Biden said to applause at a Bidenomics-focused speech in Milwaukee. ‘Guess what? The Supreme Court ruled against me, but I still got 136 million people’s debt relieved.’” (“Biden Brags About Defying Supreme Court And Relieving ‘136 Million’ Student Loan Debts,” Washington Examiner, 12/20/2023)

‘Worst Of All Is Mr. Biden’s Blatant Rejection Of The Law, Even After The Supreme Court Called Him Out’

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD: “American Presidents may not like Supreme Court decisions, but most since Andrew Jackson haven’t bragged about defying its rulings. Not even Donald Trump. Then there’s President Biden, who, while canceling more student debt this week, boasted about ignoring the Supreme Court’s landmark 2023 ruling that his previous loan forgiveness plan was illegal.” (Editorial, “Biden’s Student Loan Boast: The Supreme Court ‘Didn’t Stop Me,’” The Wall Street Journal, 2/23/2024)

·         “Mr. Biden said his original plan to ‘provide millions of working families with debt relief for their college student debt’ was derailed by ‘MAGA Republicans’ and ‘special interests’ who challenged the plan in court. ‘The Supreme Court blocked it,’ Mr. Biden added, ‘but that didn’t stop me.’ He apparently thinks defying the law is a virtue.” (Editorial, “Biden’s Student Loan Boast: The Supreme Court ‘Didn’t Stop Me,’” The Wall Street Journal, 2/23/2024)

·         “But worst of all is Mr. Biden’s blatant rejection of the law, even after the Supreme Court called him out. Is it any wonder that GOP voters don’t take Democratic alarms about losing democracy seriously? Mr. Biden doesn’t take his own warnings seriously.” (Editorial, “Biden’s Student Loan Boast: The Supreme Court ‘Didn’t Stop Me,’” The Wall Street Journal, 2/23/2024)

Saying The Quiet Part Out Loud, ‘The President’s Advisers Hope To Use The Rules To Begin Canceling Waves Of Student Debt In The Run-Up To The November Election’

“The latest proposal is another step in Biden’s yearslong effort to forgive student debt on a large scale.” (“Biden’s Student-Loan Plan Seeks to Slash Debt for 30 Million Americans,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/08/2024)

“The president’s advisers hope to use the rules to begin canceling waves of student debt in the run-up to the November election…” (“Biden To Make Second Attempt At Large-Scale Student Loan Forgiveness,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/05/2024)

·         “The regulations will be rolled out in the coming months, according to administration officials, who said they hoped the first debt relief will kick in this fall, with millions of Americans potentially seeing large portions of their education loans forgiven by November.” (“Biden’s Student-Loan Plan Seeks to Slash Debt for 30 Million Americans,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/08/2024)

The Announcement ‘Marks A Major New White House Effort To Appeal To Progressives And Young Voters Seven Months Before The November Election’

“The proposal, which President Biden is set to describe in a Monday speech in Wisconsin, marks a major new White House effort to appeal to progressives and young voters seven months before the November election, with polls showing him trailing his Republican opponent, Donald Trump, and underperforming among adults under 30.” (“Biden’s Student-Loan Plan Seeks to Slash Debt for 30 Million Americans,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/08/2024)

“The announcement comes as Biden is seeking to make it clear to voters in battleground states what his administration has done to fulfill his student debt relief campaign promises. Early 2024 polls have also shown Biden lagging in garnering the support of young voters, many of whom were galvanized in part to vote for Biden in 2020 because of his debt relief plan.” (“Biden’s Next Student Debt Relief Plan Will Cover More Than 30M Borrowers,” Politico, 4/08/2024)

‘Progressive Voters, Whom Biden Hopes Will Support Him In November's Election, Have Long Urged The White House To Address Student Loan Debt’

“Progressive voters, whom Biden hopes will support him in November's election, have long urged the White House to address student loan debt. The issue remains high on the agenda of younger voters, many of whom have concerns about Biden's foreign policy on the war in Gaza and fault him for not achieving greater debt forgiveness.” (“Biden Seeks To Cancel Some Interest On Student Loans, Aiding 23 Million Americans,” Reuters, 4/08/2024)

·         “Initially skeptical of the idea, Biden embraced it during his 2020 presidential campaign amid pressure from progressive lawmakers, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.).” (“Biden’s Student-Loan Plan Seeks to Slash Debt for 30 Million Americans,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/08/2024)

“A fresh announcement on student loan relief, an important issue for younger voters, could help energize parts of Biden’s political coalition that have become disillusioned by his job performance.” (“Biden Will Talk About Student Debt Relief In Wisconsin After Primary Voting Delivered Warning Signs,” The Associated Press, 4/08/2024)

·         “The debt forgiveness push could give Biden a political boost, especially among young people…” (“Biden To Make Second Attempt At Large-Scale Student Loan Forgiveness,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/05/2024)

Biden Will Be Making The Announcement In Wisconsin, Where In The Primary, ‘More Than 48,000 Democratic Voters Chose ‘Uninstructed’ Instead Of Biden, More Than Double Biden’s Narrow Margin Of Victory In Wisconsin In 2020’

“Biden was making the announcement Monday in Madison, the state's liberal capital and home of the University of Wisconsin's flagship campus.” (“Biden Will Talk About Student Debt Relief In Wisconsin After Primary Voting Delivered Warning Signs,” The Associated Press, 4/08/2024)

“[M]ore than 48,000 Democratic voters chose ‘uninstructed’ instead of Biden, more than double Biden’s narrow margin of victory in Wisconsin in 2020. Nearly 15% of Democrats in Dane County, home to the University of Wisconsin and Madison, voted ‘uninstructed.’ That is nearly double the statewide total of 8%.” (“Biden Will Talk About Student Debt Relief In Wisconsin After Primary Voting Delivered Warning Signs,” The Associated Press, 4/08/2024)

‘His Debt Forgiveness Scheme Is As Flagrant A Vote-Buying Ploy As We Can Remember’

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD: “Mr. Biden is boasting about his debt forgiveness because he is desperate to get young voters to support him again in November. His 2020 coalition is splintering, and younger voters aren’t thrilled with his leadership or the results of his economic policies. His debt forgiveness scheme is as flagrant a vote-buying ploy as we can remember.” (Editorial, “Biden’s Student Loan Boast: The Supreme Court ‘Didn’t Stop Me,’” The Wall Street Journal, 2/23/2024)

Biden’s Obsession With Using Taxpayer Money To Forgive Student Loan Debts Took His Administration’s Focus Away From A Crucial FAFSA Overhaul, Failing Students Currently Attending High School And College

SEN. CASSIDY: “The Department of Education’s implementation of FAFSA is in shambles after repeated blunders by the administration. It seems the reason students don’t know what schools they can afford this year is because Biden’s Department of Education is spending its time concocting student loan schemes instead of fixing the mistakes they’ve already made on FAFSA.” (Sen. Cassidy, Press Release, 4/08/2024)

REP. FOXX: “Amidst ongoing and newfound FAFSA errors, it's evident the administration's focus on free college is overshadowing good governance…. Instead of doing its job, the administration has focused its time, energy, and resources on its illegal student loan scheme…. Instead of putting the cart before the horse, why doesn’t the administration address the millions of anxious families struggling with FAFSA and focus on an accurate, timely, and working FAFSA?” (U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education & The Workforce, Press Release, 3/29/2024)

“The Government Accountability Office has started an investigation into the FAFSA rollout at the request of Republicans, who say it took a back seat to other priorities, like President Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness programs.” (“Inside the Blunders That Plunged the College Admission Season Into Disarray,” The New York Times, 3/13/2024)

For Three Years, The Biden Education Department Prioritized Student Loan Forgiveness Schemes Over The FAFSA Update

“When the Biden administration took over in 2021, former student aid staffers said the FAFSA update was treated as a purely technocratic venture that civil servants could manage on their own. Meanwhile, senior leaders at the [Education] department were also focused on other priorities, including a litany of new regulations and cleaning up poorly run student loan forgiveness programs.” (“How Creating The New FAFSA Unraveled,” The Washington Post, 3/11/2024)

·         “In August 2022, President Biden unveiled a plan to forgive up to $20,000 per recipient in federal student loans. The White House that fall pressed the student aid office to deliver a flawless process, according to three people familiar with the matter. That meant peeling off a few people from other projects, including the new FAFSA.” (“How Creating The New FAFSA Unraveled,” The Washington Post, 3/11/2024)

When Republicans Offered More Money To Finish The FAFSA Update, The White House Refused Because They Wanted To Be Able To Spend The Money On Biden’s Student Loan Giveaways

“Some higher education advocates say congressional Republicans placed the Federal Student Aid office at a disadvantage by refusing to provide additional funding in 2022 to finish the FAFSA update…. Republicans had agreed to increase the office’s budget, but with a caveat that not a dime could be spent on Biden’s debt relief program, according to congressional staffers. Democrats and the White House balked at the offer …” (“How Creating The New FAFSA Unraveled,” The Washington Post, 3/11/2024)

The Result Has Been An Absolute Disaster For Students, Families, And Universities Struggling With The FAFSA Mess

“For nearly six months, students and schools navigated a bureaucratic mess caused by severe delays in launching the website and processing critical information. A series of blunders by the department — from a haphazard rollout to technical meltdowns — have left students and schools in limbo and plunged the most critical stage of the college admissions season into disarray.” (“Inside the Blunders That Plunged the College Admission Season Into Disarray,” The New York Times, 3/13/2024)

“A monthslong delay in the Biden administration’s release of a revamped FAFSA — the form used to determine federal financial aid — and processing submissions has resulted in a nationwide backlog of some 6 million applications.” (“Education Department Sparks New GOP Anger As Cardona Pivots On Financial Aid Blunder,” Politico, 3/22/2024)