President Biden said that the Supreme Court “misinterpreted the Constitution” after it blocked his student loan handout plan, and also announced changes being made to student loans.
Biden made the comments on Friday afternoon from the White House after the Supreme Court struck down his administration’s student loan plan.
The 6-3 decision held that the secretary of education cannot cancel more than $430 billion in student loan debt under federal law.
During his speech, Biden hit Republicans, who he says blocked his student loan handout plan from being implemented.
SUPREME COURT RULES AGAINST BIDEN STUDENT LOAN DEBT HANDOUT
“They said, no, no, literally snatching from the hands of millions of Americans thousands of dollars in debt relief that was about to change their lives. You know, these Republican officials just couldn’t bear the thought of providing relief for working class, middle class Americans. Republican state officials sued my administration attempting to block relief, including millions of their own constituents,” Biden said.
He also touched on actions that his administration is taking on student loans, such as the creation of a new income-driven repayment plan and the initiation of a rule that would be aimed at “opening an alternative path to debt relief for as many borrowers as possible.”
“The Secretary’s plan canceled roughly $430 billion of federal student loan balances, completely erasing the debts of 20 million borrowers and lowering the median amount owed by the other 23 million from $29,400 to $13,600,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority opinion. “Six States sued, arguing that the HEROES Act does not authorize the loan cancelation plan. We agree.”
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Biden’s plan aimed to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for Pell Grant recipients in college and up to $10,000 for others who borrowed using federal student loans.
The Supreme Court on Friday also ruled in favor of web designer Lorie Smith, ruling in a 6-3 decision that she’s not legally required to make websites for gay marriages, with the majority opinion stating that doing so would violate her Christian beliefs and free speech rights.
“Consistent with the First Amendment, the Nation’s answer is tolerance, not coercion,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion. “The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands. Colorado cannot deny that promise consistent with the First Amendment.”
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom, Chris Pandolfo, Bill Mears and Shannon Bream contributed to this report.