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.
Space Mysteries: the search for Zuma. How DJ Khaled will change Weight Watchers, we're cruising with Volvo Cars at CES. With YourTango, Scientific American, and more.
President Trump addressed questions from reporters Wednesday following a news conference with Norway's Prime Minister. PolitiFact Staff Writer Jon Greenberg fact-checks the comments from politicians surrounding the immigration debate.
We talk about the giant pay gap between Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams for work on their recent movie, YouTube reacts to Logan Paul, and congressional women takes a page out of Hollywood's playbook for the State of the Union.
Michael Harriot, Columnist at The Root, joins us to discuss the ousting of Steve Bannon at Breitbart News and what an Oprah Winfrey presidency means for Black America.
This Changes Things: Advice for the executives and leaders of tomorrow, sponsored by American Express OPEN. On Between Bells: the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show, net neutrality's last stand, and more. With Petco, Curiosity, Daily Kos, Popular Science, and more.
Congressman Adriano Espaillat represents the 13th district of New York. He recently secured a $500 million grant to benefit his constituents by providing public services and stimulating economic growth. Nearly one million dollars will go towards funding the "Upward Bound" program, which gives training to young people to help them achieve big goals, like attending some of the best universities in the country.
President Trump is breaking his silence over Oprah Winfrey's potential White House run. Daily Kos' Kelly Macias joins Cheddar to break down the president's comments and consider Oprah's next moves.
CEO and Founder of Chat Sports James Yoder talks Trump and the thrilling NCAA Football national championship. Yoder says some fans were delayed getting into the stadium by as much as 45 minutes thanks to the President's presence. Traffic also came to a standstill in downtown Atlanta.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat says that the President is holding the livelihood of DACA recipients "hostage" to appeal to his base. "It's sad. It's something that's unprecedented."
Jack Hunter, editor of Rare Politics, discusses what an Oprah Winfrey presidency would mean for the future of U.S. politics.
