The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to reject the legal arguments behind President Joe Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness plan ruined the chances of relief for more than 1.5 million Floridians who applied for or were eligible under the plan.
In a repeat of Thursday’s decision to end affirmative action in higher education admission policies, the justices were divided along ideological lines. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the court’s 6-3 opinion, while Justice Elena Kagan wrote the dissent.
“These are very unpopular rulings,” Florida State University student Joel Nunez told the Phoenix while on the campus of Florida State University.
“They’re pushing essentially their minority opinion on the masses, and it is politically motivated. I know a lot of people who had to work in high school, so they couldn’t make as good grades to get scholarships. At the end of the day, everybody’s just trying to get an education, and it shouldn’t discriminate towards people who can’t afford it the same way,” he said.
For young adults like Yasmene Warren, who recently graduated from the University of Central Florida, the ruling is disappointing but not surprising. The pause on payments had been a blessing, helping her deal with the $26,000 she owes in student debt, Warren told the Phoenix in a telephone interview.
“I’ve had to work more than one job for a lot of my life,” she said. “So, it’s not just an easy thing for me to just send all my money away to paying off my student loans. I think it’s gonna have a pretty negative impact on a lot of Floridians because not everybody in Florida is well off. There are a lot of us who are from lower income families or more diverse families. I don’t come from money, and we have no choice but to take out loans just afford to go to school.”
Student debt in the Sunshine State
For Florida, the decision means that more than 2.7 million people will have to start repaying their student loans on Oct.1. The payments are starting three years after the pause enacted by former President Donald Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 58% of Florida borrowers applied for or were deemed elegible for Biden’s relief plan, according to data released by the administration in January.
Those 2.7 million folks accumulated a total of $105.5 billion in federal student loans, according to March data from the Federal Student Aid Office of the U.S. Department of Education. Most Florida borrowers owe between $20,000 and $40,000, meaning that under Biden’s proposal all or up to half of their debt could have been forgiven.
Data from the Federal Student Aid office also reveal that more 50 to 61-year-olds in Florida have student loans compared to people 24 or younger. Forgiving student debt would have helped people between 25 and 49 who hold the largest portion of student debt in Florida — collectively, the age group between 25 and 34 owes $31.75 billion and 35- to 49-year olds owe $43.16 billion.
The Biden administration’s plan, unveiled last year, would have erased $10,000 in federal student loans for people who made less than $125,000 per year. The one-time program would have provided relief of up to $20,000 for low-income students who got Pell Grants.
The Republican-nominated justices agreed with arguments by Republican attorneys general of Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolina that the Higher Education Loan Authority of Missouri, MOHELA, would be harmed through loss of profits.
Political reaction
The decision will perpetuate inequality and harm vulnerable borrowers of color, U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Democrat from Miami-Dade County, said in a written statement. She is the top Democrat on the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee.
“It is no secret that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color, exacerbating inequalities,” Wilson said. “Student debt cancellation would have been a bold step toward narrowing the racial wealth gap.”
Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott applauded the ruling, saying the Biden administration’s plan was meant for the elite.
State Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Florida A&M University graduate and the state’s first openly gay senator, criticized in a statement multiple of the Supreme Court’s rulings.
“The fact that six unelected individuals subsidized by billionaires are so aggressively dismantling our democracy is deeply unsettling,” he said. “As a result, millions of Americans will be less economically secure, less free, and less able to access opportunities this country ought to afford everyone, regardless of circumstances.”
–Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix
Deborah Coffey says
And, Republicans always bash liberals about their judges legislating from the bench! What a miserable, hateful court. PPP was okay with Republicans under Trump…for the rich white guys, though.
Brandon Cross says
I do realize how this would have helped perhaps millions of people, I would like reader’s thoughts on a few questions
Did these individuals not know when they applied for and granted these loans that they would have to pay them back?
What do the majority of tax payers think about having to pay for these loans if those who wanted and accepted them don’t want to?
Any thoughts on those that decided not to attend college instead entered into trades and paid there why through them., should they not also qualify for repayment for their costs?
Finally, how about the millions who applied and eventually paid off their loans. Should‘nt there be some consideration to them to have those monies reimbursed ?
Last thing… all major polls indicate that those polled are against student loan dismissal.
I really would like someone to provide reasonable answers to these simple questions.
DP says
Hallelujah, This should have never been an issue. It’s called life, you go to school, gain debt, and you pay back your loans. That’s the problem with today’s children, they want everything for nothing. I was in the same boat, had debt, worked my ass off at very low hourly wages, and payed back what I owed. I’m glad the tax payers won this round.
Proud American says
Another great day for America. You voluntarily chose to go to college. You voluntarily took the loan out. You don’t get to voluntarily pay it back because Biden wants votes. And no one HAS to go to college to be successful. In fact learn a trade and work with your hands and I bet in 5 years you’re doing better than the idiots that chose to get a liberal arts degree at a $25k a year college. And how would it have been fair for those that paid their loans back or didn’t take them. This is all an attempt by the left for govt to gain more control eventually becoming a socialist country.
Atwp says
People took out the loans expecting to them back, here we go. Pay your loans. All other personal bills have to be paid, why not the student loan.
Oldstone17 says
Joe is a liar. He knew this would never hold up. pretty straight forward as Crazy Nancy put it. The President does not have the power to forgive debt. He did it to shamefully pander votes.. you took a loan you pay it back. Pretty simple concept.
Pierre Tristam says
Right. Just like the way the $800 billion in PPP loans to businesses during Covid were paid back, right? Not. Over 91 percent were not paid back but forgiven. Most went to businesses that didn’t need it. That’s twice the amount Biden (the liar? Is the commenter not looking in the mirror?) sought to forgive. I’m afraid if this court were to have been in place in 1863, it would have found the Emancipation Proclamation an unconstitutional exercise of presidential power. Of course the president’s has the power to forgive debt. We’ve been doing it for eons. But as with the affirmative action decision and so many others, ideology, not law, not facts, not morals, is driving this train wreck of a court.
Mark says
Agreed that PPP loans should have never occurred. By your post, just asking, the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 should absolve any US taxpayers from Reparations since debts were forgiven?
Sam J says
I went to college, I worked through school I got a job where my degree actually helped me in my profession and paid back my debt.
Nobody says you have to attend an extremely overrated and expensive university because of name recognition.
If you as a student cannot realize this then maybe college is not for you.
Zemo Klotz says
Another failed attempt by Biden, who knew it would never pass. Now Biden will try another avenue, to buy votes for the 2024 election. He is pandering to the wrong crowd, try the influencers, they will carry his water in 2024.
Oldstone17 says
If you’re going to write a story please at least read the ruling so you understand it. And absent of facts you pivot to PPP loans. I never said I agree with them anyway. The court used Nancy pelosi’s own words in their ruling so the President has not been forgiving debt for eons. You should look at yourself in the mirror when you read the last statement of your response. Nancy’s own words. “People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not. He can postpone. He can delay. But he does not have that power. That has to be an act of Congress.”
Brandon Cry says
I agree with you on the unpaid debt by banks they have paid it back.
Regarding student loans.. 60% of these loans are due by the most affluent sections of society.
Emancipation Proclamation… that may be a stretch.
Pogo says
@Fact
Every voter, these SOBs fucked — knows what to do. Period.
Speak to the facts says
So they estimate that the Biden’s student loan debt reduction program (that max out at $20,000 per candidate for the program) will cost $400 Billion dollars to the tax payer. Sources out there all seem to states that American’s owe a combined total of $1.78 trillion dollars of Student Loan Debt.
If you stop and look at the total population of America it’s only 330 Million.
If we gave all citizens of the United States $1 million dollars to use for a college degree and beyond. The total would be $330 million dollars to cover the total population the United States.
A million dollars should cover someone for up to a doctoral degree PHD. 7 years of college. That could cover room and board, food, and living cost almost.
So how is forgiving $20,000 of student debt per program candidate that qualifies, going to cost $400 billion dollars (that cost will add to our national debt) ? Especially when the population is only 330 Million people????
Someone or some group of people out there are getting rich by ill gotten gains here!!!
Likewise, our government spent $14 trillion dollars in COVID response and stimulus funding.
Yet again the total population of the United States is 330 million. They could have given every person a million dollars. Had them go out and buy their own vaccines and $1,000 a vaccine, and said use the rest of $1 million dollars less the vaccine cost any economical impact. That would still only have cost $330 million dollars.
So what did the $14 trillion dollars of covid funding go towards??
At some point the government is spending money in way that isn’t adding up to any logic or reason.
Remember it’s the tax paying American that will be paying on this debt for decades to come… that puts our country at a disadvantage.
People and groups of people are getting rich by ill gotten means in this illogical government spending.
The cost of college education shouldn’t be exceeding a million dollars per citizen. $1 million dollars should be able to cover 4 years of Hight school, 4 years of college, and 4 years of graduate study for one person. Yet somehow student loan debt is $1.78 trillion dollars for those who went to college ????? Remember not everyone went to college.
Our government is spending how much money each year??? The United States government is currently $32 trillion dollars national debt. This doesn’t include state government debt that some states are currently operating in.
How is any of this sustainable?
It’s safe to say our government has a spending problem.
A Concerned Observer says
THANK YOU SUPREME COURT! This ruling does not “perpetuate inequality and harm vulnerable borrowers of color” any more than people of what, no color? Any policy directed against “people of color” is wrong and should be abolished. That being said, any governmental rule or law that benefits any ethnicity, race, religion or perceived sexual proclivity over any other differently minded group is equally as wrong and must also be abolished. Remember “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country?” Today, that should be rewritten to read “Ask not what the government owes you, but what do you owe your government.”
Fair is only fair when it applies to everyone equally. College was financially way out of the question for my wife and me after graduating from high school. What my wife of 53 years and I did learn along the way in the college of life sciences and hard knocks was to live within our means. If we could not afford something we wanted, we simply went without it or applied for a loan which we fully expected to repay within the constraints of that loan. We purchased our first home only after 22 years of working and saving to accumulate sufficient savings to keep the loan payments and interest within our means. The government cannot give anything to anyone without taking it away from someone else. Those life lessons must be learned early on in life. Thankfully, this supreme court is teaching all people of any color that everyone is responsible for their decisions and that the government is not there to bail anyone out from going into debt they cannot repay for something just because they wanted it.
dave says
student loan debt forgiveness, how about paying me back for my debt ( LOAN) I worked hard to paid off. Far is far, or is it really these days.
Ed says
Wait one moment. The ppp loans went to businesses that the government shut down so the businesses could pay the wages and expenses for 30 days so employees had a job to return to when the elected officials allowed them to reopen.
You know all government programs have at least 20 percent fraud, maybe more.
Once again your PPP claim is not the issue but a deflection by each of you.
If the college tuition was not soooo over priced and student loans were not such money makers, they would not exist.
Why won’t these universities use their endowments or get expenses in line to lower the costs? Because they don’t have to. If enrollment dropped they would. Supply and demand.
It’s not taxpayers fault. Why didn’t the families or the students save up for 18 years and plan for the expense? Skip a family vacation or two, don’t go out for dinner, no lottery, or cigarettes and weed. People have to live within their means. What about a part time job or summer work? Come on man!
Ed says
Post script
PPP loan program was approved by Congress…even the forgiveness.
don miller says
here is how it works. Why do HBCUs continue to exist? Look at college admission demographics and compare. The SAT requirements are nothing, the GPA is nothing but all of the students are on financial aid and loans. The tuition is pumped up to soak the government and students. And then students get substandard instructors and 70% never graduate but have massive debt. Obama abolished any source for student loans other than the Feds. So the Dems buy debtors votes with debt relief . Then debtors go for a job and can’t understand why they are not hired . Maybe because they couldn’t represent themselves adequately either in writing nor verbally because they received substandard teaching. That is why they needed affirm action to make up for such a diabolical debt mill education. Have to force employers to hire those with lesser capabilities because they were taken advantage of by the debt mills. The gov is the root cause. Students could have gone to a nonHBCU cheaper if they had the creds. Instead they segregate themselves at an HBCU and never get diversification experience but demand inclusion at any price. Must be discrimination holding them back right? Now they think they deserve to have their debt lessened because they chose the lowest hurdle to education, and a job through AA because they couldn’t get it on merit they never had. Plenty of websites comparing admission requirement. Check out the facts.
STANLEY says
How joe planned to get more votes. This government is making it so no one will want to work anymore in our country. Our Grandson went into the military to pay off his student loan !!! Didn’t wait to get these free handouts, a good lesson to follow .God Bless America !!!
Sherry says
Hey. . . speak to. . . why not apply that same analysis to the Billionaires who stash their $$$$ offshore and use tax loopholes to pay almost ZERO in taxes??? Then, on top of it all, trump gave them a HUGE tax break!!! If “BILLIONAIRES” paid their fair share our budget would be balanced and all kids could afford to go to college!!!
BUT, then again. . . that is not your, biased political, is it?
Sherry says
Hey. . . speak to. . . why not apply that same analysis to the Billionaires who stash their $$$$ offshore and use tax loopholes to pay almost ZERO in taxes??? Then, on top of it all, trump gave them a HUGE tax break!!! If “BILLIONAIRES” paid their fair share our budget would be balanced and all kids could afford to go to college!!!
BUT, then again. . . that is not your, biased political point, is it?
Sherry says
While I’m a passionate supporter of public higher education for “EVERYONE”. . . I would much prefer to see a multitude of scholarships being made available for those without the means to attend college. Simultaneously, there needs to be some kind of regulations put in place to roll back the outrageous tuition required by universities. . . especially state schools. Unfortunately, it very well could be that kind of authority only rests within each state, and there seems to be very little focus on this huge problem by governors and state legislators. . . especially in Republican states.
The huge disparity between rich and poor begins with the “education gap”. . . there needs to be a way to get back to the fundamentals of a path to higher education for “ALL” children regardless of financial situation of their parents.
Consider the possibility that we could begin by requiring that “Billionaires” pay their fair share in taxes. Maybe some of that $$$ could be earmarked for scholarships.
Ed says
Speak to the facts….math problem. 330,000,000 x1,000,000 = 3.3e+14. Much more than 330 million. I’m not sure how much that is but it’s at least 3.3 quintillion?
Speak to the facts says
My math is horrible! Lol! I stand corrected on the incorrect arithmetic. Still hold strong to the opinion that our government spends money in excess.
Pogo says
@As usual
1,653 words (select text, copy, paste — word processor counts) spewed by the usual trolls based on, “Back in my day, blah, blah, blah.” And because I say so.
Anyone who knows the difference between shit and Shinola (shoe polish) knows better:
Come on man!
https://www.google.com/search?q=Albert+Lord+and+student+loan+dedt
Honest Q and A — try it.
dan says
and another liberal blows a fuse. May be you can call a few of the libs who choose to not pay their loan and pay it for them. Affirmative action should have been killed years ago. Why should anyone get specials because of their skin color. We finally have a court that is doing something for the little guy. Keep it up.
Foresee says
There are no facts here, just an egotistical fever dream of intellectual self-greatness.
Pogo says
@Next up
Fraudulent Defense Contractors Paid $1 Trillion
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+much+money+is+stolen+by+defense+contractors+each+year
Oh, I forgot them taters and cabbages
https://www.google.com/search?q=annual+cost+of+crop+insurance+fraud
Okay, back to kicking around Vets, and other young people who were hustled by for profit school SOBs.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Albert+Lord+and+student+loan+dedt
Brandon Cry says
Please help me understand your point.
During that time I received monies that I didn’t necessarily need nor expect.
Although I didn’t think I should get these funds I kept them.
I am certain you received these funds also?
Did you give them back?
Dennis C Rathsam says
This is a reason Joe Biden, and his band of liberal fools, are hell bent on destroying America. Lies, Corruption, failed policies have his appruval rating is the lowest of any other president in history. Even the democrats dont want him to run again. He has failed the American people, we are worse off now than 4 years ago. Every thing cost double in Biden,s America. There,s no fool, like a old fool The United States Of America cant afford Bidenomics.
Atwp says
Dennis, 1-06-22. Who was behind that? It wasn’t Joe Biden. That lying Donald Trump and his blind followers, were behind trying to over throw the government. The orange layer is in deep hot water and will not get elected ever again as President. Btw Donald Trump is the worst President during my life time.
Atwp says
Brandon I didn’t get any funds. Millions didn’t. Am sure more whites got money than my people. A lot of people abused the money. Did you mid used your money. All groups misused the funds especially the whites because I believe they got more money as they usually do.
Brandon Cross says
Everything comes back to race doesn’t it.