The US Senate rejected President Joe Biden’s proposal to eliminate over $400 billion in student loan debt. This action brings forward a White House veto that was anticipated.
The Senate voted 52 to 46 in favor of a resolution condemning the Department of Education’s implementation of Biden’s proposal.
Senate Votes To Scrap Student Loan Forgiveness
Democratic Senators Joe Manchin, Jon Tester, and Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema voted alongside all 49 Republicans to halt the loan rescue, contributing to this outcome.
Republicans argued that the program was unfair to those who had never taken out student loans or had already repaid them, and the House voted 218 to 203 to eliminate it. Eventually, this resulted in the Senate’s decision. Senators Manchin, Tester, and Sinema supported the bill, along with moderate Democrats and Republicans.
Senator Manchin condemned Joe Biden’s student loan relief proposal as “reckless” and as adding to the national debt, as reported by Politico. He expressed concern that the proposal would burden taxpayers who had previously repaid their student loans or decided against further education. Mark Warner and Michael Bennet both abstained from voting.
The White House noted that President Joe Biden must now determine whether he will oppose the measure or defend his student loan forgiveness program.
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Biden’s Proposal Faces Barriers
However, two cases that the conservative-leaning US Supreme Court is expected to deliberate on this month may pose a significant barrier to Biden’s proposal to reduce student debt.
Separately, the Senate is also evaluating the agreement President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached regarding the US debt ceiling. If this proposition is approved, federal student loan repayments will resume at the end of August after being suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite Republican efforts, the debt package does not contain clauses that would prevent the implementation of Biden’s proposal to forgive student loan.
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