Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren protest at Supreme Court to back student loan relief
Jeremiah Poff
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WASHINGTON, DC — A crowd of roughly 250 people rallied on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday in support of President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.
The rally took place while the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the legality of the president’s plan to eliminate up to $20,000 in federally held student loans for borrowers making less than $125,000. The debt cancellation could help up to 16 million borrowers, which is the number of applicants who signed up for the program before lower courts halted the plan.
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The student loan activists were joined by progressive leaders, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Cori Bush (D-MO).
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told the crowd that the “extremist” Supreme Court must see that Biden has the legal authority to cancel the debt.
“This is a righteous fight,” Warren said. “And we cannot let a Supreme Court that is an extremist court take away the opportunity for millions of Americans to have a little racial justice, a little economic justice, a little opportunity to build more secure futures going forward.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joined the protesters to urge the 6-3 conservative majority Supreme Court to allow the debt cancellation to move forward to help those “drowning in student debt.”
“In America, you should not have to face financial ruin because you want a damn education,” Sanders told the crowd.
Biden’s student loan policy, which has been blocked by federal courts prior to the Supreme Court’s review, would cost $400 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. A separate study from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business pegged the cost to easily exceed $500 billion.
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The cost could tick up beyond $1 trillion if the student loan plan is coupled with Biden’s proposed changes to the income-driven repayment program, which allows low-income borrowers to make lower monthly payments than their loan would otherwise provide.
A final decision on the legality of Biden’s loan forgiveness policy is expected by the summer. If the court decides against moving forward with the debt relief program, loan payments are expected to resume by the end of August.
Kaelan Deese contributed to this report.