Conservatives plan to sue Biden over student loan plan

Attorneys general from states including Arizona, Missouri, and Texas allegedly met to discuss the possibility of filing multiple lawsuits from states across the country to push back against the Biden administration’s attempt to cancel student loans, the Washington Post reports.

The information reportedly came from sources that are “familiar with [the AGs’] thinking.” 

No lawsuit has been filed to date, however other conservative lawmakers and activist groups are considering similar routes to challenge the administration’s Aug. 24 directive. 

[RELATED: WATCH: Students don’t want to push loan forgiveness on taxpayers]

Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) reportedly hinted at filing a potential lawsuit, while the “allies of the Heritage Foundation”, a conservative think tank based in Washington D.C, is also allegedly toying with the idea.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) reportedly supports the concept.

“The conservative public interest law firms in our network are exploring filing lawsuits against this. They are doing background legal research, trying to find out who might be the most suitable clients for them,” John Malcolm, director of the Meese Center at the Heritage Foundation, told the Washington Post.

Biden justified his decision to cancel student debt via the HEROES Act, which was originally passed in 2003 to grant the President the ability to cancel service members’ student loan debt in the wake of 9/11. 

While the act was updated to give the President broad authority to cancel debt during a crisis in 2020, conservative lawmakers argue the executive branch does not have the power to make sweeping decisions on all student loans.  

[RELATED: WATCH: Biden student loan plan is ‘slap in the face’]

Biden’s debt forgiveness plan will impact borrowers who make under $125,000 per year. 

Borrowers who received Pell Grants can receive $20,000 in forgiveness, while borrowers who did not receive Pell Grants are eligible for $10,000 in forgiveness.

The plan could cost an average of $2,500 per taxpayer, the National Taxpayer Union reports.

Campus Reform contacted the White House and each individual mentioned for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.

Follow @Alexaschwerha1 on Twitter.