Student loan borrowers excited to receive up to $20,000 in relief from Joe Biden's administration may have those hopes dashed by a conservative Supreme Court.
President Joe Biden's decision to forgive $430 billion in student debt was met with skepticism from conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, which not only raised questions about the plan's viability but also hinted at difficulties in using the executive branch to accomplish goals throughout his remaining term.
The conservative-majority court may reject Biden's debt relief proposal as an unlawful expansion of executive authority, according to questions raised by the conservative justices during arguments on Tuesday.
Every president, including Trump and Biden, have used executive power to fill in gaps where they perceived that Congress was unable or unwilling to act.
For the Trump administration, many of the executive orders regarded immigration and how to handle migrants, particularly from nations deemed less desirable by that administration.
In the Biden administration, the focus, as with the student loan debt relief, has been to offer Americans additional money or assistance, often in the face of fierce opposition from the opposing party.
The Court appears poised to rein in the Executive Branch’s ability to use Executive Orders to accomplish their ends. It will be for a future conservative administration to test if the Court’s will applies to all presidents or just ones with whom they have fundamental ideological disagreements.
Bob Peryea
National Correspondent
The Kentucky Daily