U.S. judge in Texas has blocked President Joe Biden’s plan to provide millions of borrowers with up to $20,000 apiece in federal student-loan forgiveness
District Court Judge Mark Pittman said Thursday (Nov. 10, 2022) that the program usurped Congress’ power to make laws
The program was already on hold while a federal appeals court in St. Louis considers a separate lawsuit by a half-dozen states challenging it
Pittman is an appointee of former President Donald Trump based in Fort Worth
The cancellation applies to federal student loans used to attend undergraduate and graduate school, along with Parent Plus loans.
As of late October, more than 22 million borrowers had applied for debt relief.
The White House did not immediately provide a response to the ruling.
Reaction to the ruling was predictably mixed along political fault lines.