Protesters in favor of student loan relief gathered outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning, demanding that the top jurists side with President Biden as they hear two cases challenging his signature student loan debt relief policy.
Biden’s relief program looks to cancel $10,000 of student debt for low- to middle-income borrowers and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, but the legal challenges have put the program on hold while the Supreme Court hears the arguments for the cases that jeopardize it.
Activists who showed up ahead of oral arguments told Cheddar that Americans should not have to be burdened with so much student debt.
"I went to college as a first generation college student. My FAFSA said we had zero expected family contribution," said Kristin McGuire, executive director of the advocacy group Young Invincibles. "I borrowed $20,000 to finance my college education, and I currently owe over $55,000."
“We're almost 20 years later, and my debt has doubled. And Americans should not have to go through that,” McGuire continued.
Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Mass. District 7) also made an appearance outside the Supreme Court.
"The people demand and deserve student debt cancellation," Pressley told the crowd. "Student debt cancellation will change and save lives."
Pressley said that Republican officials are “disconnected from the hardship of everyday folks who are burdened by this debt” and “chose obstruction.”
But, Republicans have called Biden’s plan fiscally irresponsible.
“Our nation is facing a staggering $31 trillion worth of debt and we have closed in on the debt ceiling, yet the Biden administration is still attempting to cancel millions of dollars in student loans,” Senator Rick Scott of Florida has said. “The reality is, a blanket forgiveness of student loans only benefits a small percentage of the population at the expense of millions of other hard working Americans."
The Court’s decisions won’t be released until the early summer, but 26 million people have already applied for the program, with 16 million having already been approved.
Facebook is in hot water again after revelations that a data firm gained access to information from millions of users without their knowledge. Apple is reportedly developing its own display screens. Russian President Vladimir Putin was re-elected again by an overwhelming majority. Plus, Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant talk about season two of their Netflix show, "Santa Clarita Diet."
"Simple contract law" dictates that once a deal has been signed, sealed, and delivered, it cannot be rewritten, says former prosecutor Jonna Spilbor.
A day after the UK expelled almost two dozen Russian diplomats, Moscow is poised to retaliate with "tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats," says Jason Douglas, reporter at The Wall Street Journal. This diplomatic feud stems from the attempted murder of a former Russian spy and his daughter on British soil.
A month after the Parkland, Fla., shooting, students across the country walked out of classes to demand gun control. Eric Adams, the Brooklyn Borough President who organized a rally to coincide with the walkout, said this is the students taking a step into "the classroom of life."
Google is banning all ads related to cryptocurrency. Students across the country are walking out of class today to remember victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Kai Ryssdal, host and senior editor of Marketplace, stops by to talk about the upcoming 10 year anniversary of the financial crisis. And we're joined by the co-owner of McClure's, a company that specializes in making pickles.
Political consultant Rick Wilson says the way President Trump ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with a tweet speaks volumes about the characters of the two men.
Rex Tillerson is out as Secretary of State and CIA director Mike Pompeo is in. President Trump issued an executive order blocking Broadcom's hostile takeover bid for rival chipmaker Qualcomm. Olympic gold medalist and author Scott Hamilton joins us to talk about his figure skating career and his new book. Plus, Kristen Scholer sits down with Brooklyn Decker and Whitney Casey at SXSW to talk about their start-up Finery.
Providing equal pay, national paid leave, and paid sick days will all bring real changes to the workplace, says Valerie Jarrett. The former senior adviser to President Obama is now focused on tackling these issues.
The host and comedian joined Cheddar to talk about the CNN show's third season. He explains the role social media had in choosing to feature the Sikh community in an episode.
The Democratic congressman from Massachusetts told Cheddar that constituents are not happy with the Trump administration and will take their concerns to the polls.
