"Squad" member Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) led nearly 90 Democratic members of Congress who are pushing President Joe Biden to "use your authority" to cancel student debt for millions of Americans.
The Democrats sent Biden a letter on Wednesday night acknowledging that the Supreme Court "has chosen to stand in the way" of the initial student forgiveness plan, which the president introduced one year ago on Thursday. However, the Democrats argued Biden has "additional tools" as president that can be used to alleviate loans.
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"Working and middle class families need this relief to come as soon as possible. We urge you to continually find ways to use your authority to bring down student debt, address the rising cost of college, and make postsecondary education affordable for all students who choose that path," the Democrats wrote.
The Supreme Court struck down Biden's plan in a 6-3 decision on June 30. The plan would have canceled up to $20,000 in federal student loans for millions of borrowers, amounting to almost $400 billion. Democrats have criticized the conservative-majority high court for their decisions lately, arguing that right-wing politics influence the rulings.
“Borrowers have already waited nearly a year for the relief you announced in August 2022, and critics of your plan to help 43 million Americans are likely to renew their attacks with regard to your rulemaking announcement,” the Democratic members wrote. “We urge you to reject their bad-faith, partisan attempts to delay relief and carry out your efforts to help borrowers as quickly as possible.”
The Democrats' call for additional student loan relief plans comes ahead of Oct. 1, when the yearlong pause of repayments due to the COVID-19 pandemic is set to expire.
This week, Biden launched the "Saving on a Valuable Education,” or “SAVE," plan, an income-driven repayment plan for borrowers. The website went up on Tuesday. Republicans have decried the SAVE plan as a method to circumvent a Supreme Court ruling.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who joined Pressley and Warren in Wednesday's letter, warned in a statement on Tuesday that people may try to prevent the SAVE plan.
“While there will be those that will challenge this in court, the administration has carefully crossed the legal t’s and dotted the legal i’s,” Schumer said. “The fight to cancel student debt is far from over, but this is a massive step in the right direction. President Biden deserves accolades and support for this action.”
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Warren said in a post on X on Tuesday that Republicans will try to repeal the SAVE plan, and she is "going to fight their effort each step of the way."
In the weeks before the Supreme Court issued a ruling on Biden's loan forgiveness plan, both Senate and House Republicans introduced legislation to address student loans, but it is unclear whether either effort will have Democratic support.