According to a recent poll by Generation Lab, college students, and recent graduates predominantly hold the Supreme Court and Republicans responsible for the lack of student debt relief following the court’s ruling, which struck down President Joe Biden’s forgiveness plan. Released on Tuesday, the survey indicated that 47 percent of young people nationwide blame the Supreme Court for the unresolved student loan debt, with Republicans coming in second at 38 percent. Meanwhile, only 10 percent accused the president, and a mere 4 percent held Democrats accountable.
The Supreme Court’s decision, delivered at the end of June, rejected President Biden’s proposal for up to $20,000 in student debt relief. This ruling elicited contrasting reactions, as it was celebrated by Republicans and criticized by Democrats. The case’s challengers, which ultimately led to dismantling the president’s plan, were six Republican-led state attorneys general.
The poll also revealed that a significant majority of young people, 77 percent, were aware of the recent court decision, while the remaining 23 percent were not informed about it. Regarding the court’s ruling, 61 percent of those surveyed disagreed with it, whereas only 17 percent agreed. Twenty-one percent were unsure whether they agreed or disagreed with the court’s decision.
The student debt relief plan, intended to assist over 40 million borrowers and costing approximately $400 billion, faced rejection by the court.
Following the court’s ruling, President Biden has directed attention toward Republicans, implying that they thwarted borrowers’ hopes. He emphasized that he never misled anyone with false promises and placed the blame squarely on the Republicans for snatching away the hope that was given.
The Biden administration promptly introduced an alternative pathway to achieve student debt relief in response to the setback. However, this new approach will undergo a lengthy negotiated rulemaking process before implementation. On a positive note, the administration has recently provided student debt forgiveness to more than 800,000 borrowers.
