Student loan borrowers to rally ‘in full force’ as Supreme Court weighs Biden relief plan

Supporters of President Joe Biden’s stalled student debt relief proposal are planning to rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. at the end of the month as justices hear a case challenging the administration’s long-awaited program.

After Biden in August announced his plan to cancel up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for borrowers with incomes under $125,000 for individuals or $250,000 for households, right-wing politicians and activists took to the courts. The administration has stopped taking applications while awaiting the high court’s decision but also extended a pause on loan repayments until June.

Given that the right-wing court’s ruling is expected to “determine the fate of this program and the economic freedom of millions,” organizers of the People’s Rally for Student Debt Cancellation intend to “bring the voices and stories of impacted borrowers directly to the steps of the court” on February 28 from 8:00 am to noon ET.

“I wanted to make sure that the justices look into the eyes of borrowers while they’re doing the hearing.”

“More than 26 million borrowers remain in limbo, including 16 million who have been officially approved for relief” through Biden’s “life-changing” program, because of “blatantly partisan lawsuits were filed by the president’s political opponents to block the desperately needed relief,” organizers highlight on a webpage for the rally, set to be livestreamed.

“For too long the student debt crisis has exacerbated racial and economic inequality,” organizers argue on the Campaign to Cancel My Student Debt website, managed by the Student Borrower Protection Center. “Working people are looking to SCOTUS to follow the letter of the law and uphold critical relief for millions of student loan borrowers.”

Rise, a youth-led nonprofit that aims to make higher education free, plans to bring around 100 college students from the swing states Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to the D.C. rally, co-founder Max Lubin told Insider.

Supporters of debt cancellation continue to call out those who have stood in the way of the president’s proposal—which was more modest than many borrowers and other Democratic politicians had advocated.

“Whether purchasing their first home, starting a business, or growing their family, millions of borrowers will benefit from student debt cancellation,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley(D-Mass.) said Sunday, adding that Biden “has the legal authority” and “Republicans must stop obstructing this relief.”

“Over 40 million borrowers would qualify for this administration’s one-time student debt relief,” the White House tweeted Monday. “In every single congressional district, at least half of eligible borrowers either applied or were deemed auto-eligible for relief—in the one month the application was available.”

“Millions of these borrowers—and more—could be experiencing relief right now,” the White House added, “if it were not for lawsuits brought by opponents of the student debt relief program.”

Originally published at Commondreams.org.