The Biden administration is moving ahead with a new path to student loan cancellation for Americans who face steep medical bills, child care costs and other types of financial hardship that prevent them from repaying their loans.

Announced Friday, the proposed rule is President Joe Biden’s third attempt at student loan cancellation as he faces repeated legal challenges from Republican states. His first plan was rejected by the Supreme Court last year, and his second plan has been temporarily halted by a federal judge in Missouri.

The new rule would have to clear a number of hurdles before it becomes official, and it’s unclear if it could be realized before Biden leaves office in three months. Like Biden’s other loan forgiveness proposals, it could face court challenges from conservatives who say it’s unconstitutional and unfair.

If finalized, the new rule would allow the Education Department to proactively cancel loans for borrowers if the agency determines they have an 80% chance of being in default on their loans within two years. Others could apply for a review to determine if they meet the criteria for cancellation.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    44
    arrow-down
    5
    ·
    2 months ago

    In before “he’s only doing it because of the election” as if that somehow makes it a bad thing.

    • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      2 months ago

      I’m gonna be honest, I’m not trying to be a dick, I supported him doing it all along, especially in the past.

      But this close to an election sounds a bit like when Trump sent out stimulus checks and blocked them till they let him sign his name, and claimed all the money came from his pocket.

      Giving money before an election should be banned by both sides, if this passed earlier I’d be all in favor, but next republican president is going to give $2000 rebates on all gun and lifted f-150 with covered bed purchases, and knowing Trump he’ll give more if they pose for videos with said gun and truck outside minority polling stations.

      This is the problem with trash like Trump, it’s a race to the bottom and we all lose.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        2 months ago

        As I already said to someone else, I could not care less if people do the right thing for the wrong reason.

        People are hurting. This will help some of them. Complaining that people who need help are getting helped for the wrong reason is silly.

        If I’m starving to death, I don’t care if you gave me a sandwich because you wanted to help me or you gave me a sandwich because you thought it was disgusting and wanted me to suffer by giving me a disgusting sandwich because either way, I won’t be dying.

        • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 months ago

          Yeah, that’s not my problem.

          My problem is it’s an escalation of giving away money just before an election for votes, and that’s not anything we want to escalate.

          I am 100% in favor of giving money for student loan forgiveness, the interest was huge, and it’s not purgable by bankruptcy, it needs to be forgiven.

          But I’m terrified of the timing, personally we need an expectation that legislation will stop roughly 90 days before an election so you don’t have dangerous things like giving money for votes, or passing laws to ban voting by key demographics.

          This is bad no matter who does it, let’s try to have a 90 day window before elections, let’s even do what other countries do, have a 2 week cool down period before voting where ads and other spending are stopped.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            2 months ago

            Okay, exactly how many days before an election should a president be prevented from doing anything that might help people?

            Because spending never stops. You’re talking about an election spending cool down period. This is not election spending.

      • Snapz@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 months ago

        You’re argument has no basis, his administration has been trying to get this done through a broken Congress and Supreme Court for a long time now. It’s not “this close to a election”. And fuck off with the, “and believe me I ain’t no trump fan either” qualifier shit - bad points are bad points, period. You don’t get headed on an average of your horseshit opening statement and try to land on something rational as a giveaway.

        Rethink your approach or sit down.