With just a week remaining in office, President Joe Biden is taking significant actions before his departure. On Monday, he announced additional student debt forgiveness, benefitting over five million Americans.
“From the start of my administration, I pledged to make higher education a pathway to the middle class rather than a barrier to opportunity. I’m proud to say we’ve forgiven more student loan debt than any other administration in history,” Biden stated via a White House release.
This latest round of forgiveness includes relief for over 150,000 borrowers. Among them, 85,000 attended schools accused of defrauding students, 61,000 have total or permanent disabilities, and 6,100 are public service workers.
According to reports, Biden’s actions on Monday bring the total student loan relief provided during his presidency to $183.6 billion. This includes $465 million for public servants, $2.5 billion for borrowers with permanent disabilities, and over $1.25 billion for defrauded students.
However, the future of student loan forgiveness remains uncertain. As Donald Trump prepares for his return to the White House, his stance on the issue has raised questions. Trump has previously labeled student loan forgiveness as “vile” and “illegal,” a sentiment echoed by many Republican lawmakers.
Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, wife of WWE mogul Vince McMahon, signals a potential shift in policy. Meanwhile, Trump’s future vice president, J.D. Vance, criticized the outgoing administration, writing on social media, “President Trump is inheriting a mess, but cleaning up is what he does best.”
