{"id":32440,"date":"2024-03-22T12:26:38","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T19:26:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=32440"},"modified":"2024-03-22T12:26:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T19:26:38","slug":"house-progressives-applaud-as-biden-student-debt-relief-tops-143-billion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/03\/22\/house-progressives-applaud-as-biden-student-debt-relief-tops-143-billion\/","title":{"rendered":"House Progressives Applaud as Biden Student Debt Relief Tops $143 Billion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"People<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

People rally in support of President Joe Biden’s student debt cancellation plan on August 25, 2022 in Washington, D.C. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Photo: Stefani Reynolds\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Let’s keep fighting until we cancel student debt for EVERY single borrower,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

BRETT WILKINS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mar 21, 2024 (CommonDreams.org)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progressive U.S. lawmakers and campaigners on Thursday cheered the Department of Education’s announcement of nearly $6 billion in additional student loan relief\u2014this time for public service workers\u2014as President Joe Biden continues to find ways to work around a Supreme Court ruling limiting how he can eliminate educational debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department of Education (DOE) said<\/a> the administration has approved $5.8 billion in student debt<\/a> for around 78,000 borrowers, the result of adjustments to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness<\/a> (PSLF) program. The move brings the total amount of student loan forgiveness<\/a> approved by Biden administration to $143.6 billion for nearly 4 million borrowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Of the estimated 43 million student loan borrowers in America, approximately 20% have either been approved for debt cancellation or have no current repayment obligation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“For too long, our nation’s teachers, nurses, social workers, firefighters, and other public servants faced logistical troubles and trap doors when they tried to access the debt relief they were entitled to under the law,” U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“With this announcement, the Biden-Harris administration is showing how we’re taking further steps not only to fix those trap doors, but also to expand opportunity to many more Americans,” Cardona added. “Today, more than 100 times more borrowers are eligible for PSLF than there were at the beginning of the administration.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before 2021, only around 7,000 borrowers benefited from PSFL relief. During Biden’s tenure, more than 871,000 people have had their student loan debt canceled after the administration updated and fixed key parts of the program, including by introducing a new help tool <\/a>to simplify navigation of the debt relief process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great news! This is an important step in our fight for student debt cancellation.

This brings the total student debt cancelled to nearly $144 billion for about 4 million borrowers.

Let\u2019s keep fighting until we cancel student debt for EVERY single borrower. https:\/\/t.co\/x7g4i43WMX<\/a><\/p>— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 21, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>