DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The battle over student loan forgiveness continues after GOP senators introduced a counter-measure on Monday that would block the president’s debt relief plan.
Right now, President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan is on pause as it’s in review by the Supreme Court.
Student loan borrowers in the Miami Valley said this most recent attempt by the GOP to block loan forgiveness adds an another layer of uncertainty.
“We were told in school that if we kept going to school, then great things would happen,” Brittany Rickards-Weber said.
Brittany Rickards-Weber graduated from Wittenberg University in 2013 with around $80,000 in student loan debt.
Rickards-Weber said she’s been paying down her loans, but others aren’t as lucky.
“There are way more people who are wasting their money and end up in turmoil, and it’s not giving them the benefits that they were really hoping for,” Rickards-Weber said.
Last year, Biden introduced a plan that could forgive $10,000 for those making less than $125,000 a year, and $20,000 in relief for borrowers with Pell Grants. The plan is estimated to cost $400 billion.
A proposal led by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and signed by 35 others pushes to overturn Biden’s executive action.
The resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives and would take a simple majority vote in both the House and Senate to go through.
“Let’s use the programs we have that are targeted to those in need,” Cassidy said. “Don’t just completely wipe away the debt for folks who aren’t in need.”
Topher Peck, University of Dayton class of 2021, said the waiting game on whether or not some of his debt will be forgiven is frustrating.
“As someone who’s trying to, you know, establish a professional identity, it’s difficult being weighed down by something like that,” Peck said.
Rickards-Weber said forgiveness isn’t enough, the rising cost of education also needs addressed.
“There needs to be a lot more regulations to to help the people because if not, this this issue is just going to continuously inflate,” Rickards-Weber said.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling this summer. Student loan repayments are still on pause, and will be until the case is resolved, or until June 30, whichever comes first.
