In a stunning turn of events, President Joe Biden’s controversial $400 billion student loan forgiveness program managed to withstand a fierce procedural challenge in the House.
Republicans, who see the program as an illegal maneuver by Biden to shift the burden of student debt onto hardworking taxpayers, were unable to secure enough votes to override the president’s veto of a bill aimed at killing the program.
Back in May, the House passed a resolution to put an end to what Republicans argue is an unjust attempt by Biden to forgive billions in student loans. The Senate followed suit, approving the resolution. However, Biden swiftly vetoed it in June, sparking a heated battle between Republicans and Democrats.
Yesterday, the House made a final attempt to override the veto, but fell short of the required two-thirds majority. With a vote of 221-206, the GOP’s efforts to protect taxpayers from shouldering the burden of student debt were thwarted, thanks to the unanimous support of Democrats for Biden’s veto, save for two brave souls who voted against their party’s agenda.
Democrats, led by Rep. Bobby Scott, passionately argued that Biden’s plan offers “loan relief” to a staggering 43 million Americans, particularly those from low-income backgrounds who are in desperate need of such assistance.
However, Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina, firmly maintained that the program unfairly shifts the weight of this debt onto the American taxpayer.
“President Biden’s radical plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt via executive fiat is utter hogwash. The American people are not fooled by the deceptive, doctored-up talking points on student loans that the left has attempted to force-feed them over the past two years,” Foxx boldly declared.
Although the House vote effectively extinguishes Republicans’ hopes of terminating Biden’s contentious loan program, there remains a glimmer of hope. The Supreme Court could potentially rule against it in an upcoming case, with a decision expected in the coming days.
The resolution was crafted under the Congressional Review Act, which grants Congress the power to nullify recent executive branch decisions.
The House passed the resolution with a vote of 218-203 in May, while the Senate vote stood at 52-46. Unfortunately for Republicans, both margins fell short of the necessary threshold to override Biden’s veto.
In defense of his decision to veto the resolution, Biden cited the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on families across the nation.
He emphasized the need to provide essential relief, offering up to $20,000 in debt forgiveness to millions of Americans who have been struggling with the economic aftermath of the pandemic. According to Biden, this program would benefit over 40 million hardworking individuals, including Pell Grant recipients.
Although the pandemic has receded, Biden and his Democratic allies argue that the need for relief persists. They claim that denying this critical aid to millions of constituents is a disservice to hardworking families nationwide.
In a biting statement accompanying his veto, Biden also pointed out that some of the very lawmakers who opposed the relief have already benefited from the forgiveness of tens of thousands of dollars in their own business loans by the federal government.
This fierce battle over student loan forgiveness is far from over, and it remains to be seen whether the Supreme Court will tip the scales in favor of Republicans or Democrats.
Nevertheless, the fight for the American taxpayer and the future of higher education continues unabated. Stay tuned for further updates on this pressing issue.
Source Fox News