President Biden’s student loan relief program was halted, when a U.S. District Court judge deemed it unlawful on Thursday.
Texas Judge Mark T. Pittman said the executive order was a “complete usurpation” of congressional power, despite the administration’s explanation that under the umbrella of the HEROES Act, the president had the authority to relieve student debt due to COVID-19 placing the country in a national emergency.
The program was set to cost the American tax payers $400 billion over the next three decades.
Biden said in August that higher education learners who received Pell grants would be eligible to receive $20,000 in debt cancellation, while those who did not could get up to $10,000 off their student loan bills.
The White House announced that 16 million of the 26 million applications received by the Department of Education had already been approved as of Nov. 3, as all individuals with an income of less than $125,000 a year would qualify for the debt relief program.
“In this country, we are not ruled by an all-powerful executive with a pen and a phone,” Pittman said in his ruling on Thursday. “Instead, we are ruled by a Constitution that provides for three distinct and independent branches of government.”
The administration challenged the decision the same day though the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, as the student loan freeze is going to end in January 2023.
Post-collegiate millennials are already freaking out at the prospect of their looming student loan payments starting up again, and were met with less than sympathetic responses to their complaints.
“I was just made aware this morning that my #studentloans now DON’T qualify for forgiveness. I was forced by FAFSA to take FFELP loans. This is bullshit,” one graduate whined.
“The Biden administration forgiving #studentloans is the exact same as them legalizing #weed,” another realized. “Both are simply empty promises used to garner votes.”
While one Twitter user appealed to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to “extend the pause on student loans until you can get your ducks in a row on forgiveness.”
“I love how it’s fine to spend billions and trillions of dollars on banks and bombs, but god forbid we help students drowning in debt. What a scandal that is,” Jessilyn Harper tweeted.
“Pay up grifter… Just like those before you did,” replied a less than sympathetic responder.
“This is a serious economic issue. It has nothing to do with my personal finances thanks,” she shot back. “There is no way for student debt to be discharged. That is ridiculous. There needs to be reforms.”
“I don’t want to finance banks and bombs either but I definitely don’t want to pay your bills,” someone else countered.
“The fact that liberals actually believed their student loans would be wiped away shows you they still need a real education,” a conservative tweeter laughed.
“Good,” replied another. “Plumbers, waitresses, and mechanics should not be paying for the school loans of doctors and lawyers.”