With the November election approaching, the Biden-Harris administration continues to emphasize its significant efforts in student debt relief, despite numerous legal challenges from Republican-led states.
As of now, more than $175 billion in student loan forgiveness has been provided to nearly 5 million borrowers, including over 1 million through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
President Biden emphasized, “For too long, the government failed to live up to its commitments,” noting how PSLF previously granted forgiveness to just 7,000 people before his administration began addressing its issues.
In recent months, the administration has made PSLF more accessible by simplifying the application process and ensuring borrowers in public service jobs—such as teachers and nurses—can qualify more easily.
Thursday’s announcement of $4.5 billion in relief impacts about 60,000 additional borrowers.
These changes mark a stark contrast to former President Donald Trump, who proposed ending PSLF multiple times while in office.
The Biden administration’s broader approach to debt relief, however, suffered a major setback when the Supreme Court struck down its signature program that would have canceled up to $20,000 of debt for low- and middle-income borrowers.
This program, which could have affected millions, was estimated to cost over $400 billion.
After the Supreme Court’s ruling, Vice President Kamala Harris expressed her resolve, stating on the Call Her Daddy podcast, “We are fighting, and I’m going to continue to fight for student debt relief.”
She emphasized how student debt is a barrier for many Americans to achieve life milestones like starting a family or buying a home.
While Biden’s one-time debt relief was blocked, the administration has continued to seek alternative methods of assisting borrowers.
For instance, the new SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) repayment plan aims to reduce the financial burden on millions of borrowers, though it too faces legal battles.
Harris and Biden remain determined to continue efforts to make education more affordable and reduce debt.
Harris sharply criticized Republican opposition to these programs, saying, “While Republican elected officials do everything in their power to block millions of their own constituents from receiving this much needed economic relief, I will continue our work to lower costs, make higher education more affordable, and relieve the burden of student debt.”
Additionally, Biden’s team has made significant strides in offering debt relief to specific groups of borrowers, including those who are permanently disabled or defrauded by their colleges.
Over 572,000 permanently disabled borrowers have received the relief they were entitled to, along with 1.6 million borrowers defrauded by for-profit colleges, who were previously left waiting under the Trump administration’s policies.
The administration has also taken steps to fix errors in PSLF, where many borrowers previously found that their years of qualifying payments weren’t properly counted due to being in the wrong repayment plan.
The Department of Education’s recount of past payments and adjustments for incorrect calculations has brought many closer to loan forgiveness, restoring faith in a program that many had considered a broken promise.
As the administration continues to push forward with student loan relief initiatives, it remains clear that debt relief is a central component of its strategy to provide economic relief to millions of Americans.
While challenges remain—both in courts and politically—the Biden-Harris administration has vowed to continue fighting for the millions burdened by student loans, ensuring that higher education is within reach for all, not just the wealthy.
