In a continued effort to deliver on his 2020 campaign promise, President Joe Biden announced on Thursday the cancellation of $4.5 billion in student loans for over 60,000 public service workers. This brings the total number of borrowers who have benefited from student loan forgiveness under Biden’s administration to more than 1 million. The latest relief comes as part of a broader strategy aimed at reducing the financial burden on those who pursued higher education in public service roles.
With this new round of cancellations, the Biden-Harris administration has now provided a staggering $175 billion in student debt relief to nearly 5 million Americans. The White House argues that the current student loan system is broken and places an unfair financial burden on those seeking higher education, particularly in public service sectors like healthcare, education, and law enforcement.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for the presidency in 2024 following Biden’s decision not to seek re-election, vowed to continue the administration’s efforts to make higher education more affordable if she wins. Harris emphasized that tackling student loan debt will remain a top priority, especially in the face of Republican opposition to Biden’s policies.
“While Republican elected officials work tirelessly to block economic relief for millions of their own constituents, I will stay focused on lowering education costs, making higher education more accessible, and easing the burden of student debt,” Harris said in a statement.
Biden’s loan cancellation efforts have faced numerous legal challenges, with critics—mostly Republican lawmakers—accusing the administration of overreaching its authority. They argue that only Congress has the power to authorize mass debt cancellation and that the policy unfairly benefits college-educated individuals, leaving others without relief.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a key part of Biden’s broader student debt relief plan, temporarily halting the cancellation of mass student loans. Despite this setback, the administration has been pursuing other avenues to deliver relief. This latest forgiveness round targets public workers, an area that has received bipartisan support in the past, though legal opposition remains ongoing.
Harris has centered much of her presidential campaign on economic issues, pledging to lower costs for middle- and working-class Americans and to continue addressing student loan debt. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, her main rival in the 2024 race, has focused his economic policies on tax cuts and tariffs, distancing himself from Biden’s approach to student loan forgiveness.
As legal battles over student debt cancellation continue, the future of the policy remains uncertain. However, the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts have already made significant strides in offering relief to millions of Americans, and both Biden and Harris remain committed to ensuring that more borrowers receive much-needed economic assistance.
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