Federal judge issues restraining order on Biden-Harris debt cancellation program

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Biden-Harris administration’s student debt forgiveness program on Wednesday, pushing back the program’s implementation by at least 14 days.

The order was prompted by an ongoing lawsuit filed against the Department of Education on Sept. 3. The suit, brought by seven different states, alleges that the Biden-Harris administration’s effort to cancel debt is illegal.

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“One would have hoped the Secretary would have learned to stick with the statutory forgiveness programs that Congress actually passed,” the lawsuit reads. “Instead, the only lesson the Secretary learned was the need for secrecy. In April, the Secretary published a notice of proposed rulemaking for a third attempt at mass cancellation under yet a third statute.” 

“Through compulsory process at the end of August, the States have just obtained documents proving that the Secretary is implementing this plan without publication and has been planning to do so since May,” it continues. “Those documents instruct third-party organizations that service federal loans to begin cancelling hundreds of billions of dollars beginning potentially this week.”

The so-called Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan would wipe out roughly $500 billion of federal student loans for an estimated 25 million borrowers. The plan was previously halted by an earlier restraining order on Sept. 5 shortly after the lawsuit was filed.

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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey hailed the first restraining order as a major victory for Americans, expressing optimism in relation to Republican lawmakers’ efforts to push back against the Biden-Harris administration’s attempts to cancel student loans.

“Today is a huge victory for every working American who won’t have to foot the bill for someone else’s Ivy League debt,” Attorney General Bailey said in a press release. “I paid for my education in blood, sweat, and tears in service to my country, so this fight is personal for me. We will continue to lead the way for working Americans who are being preyed upon by unelected federal bureaucrats in Washington D.C.”

Campus Reform has reached out to the White House and to Attorney General Bailey for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.