The Biden administration announced Thursday that 1 million borrowers have had their student debt canceled under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program during his administration.
The announcement comes after the White House approved another $4.7 billion in student debt cancellation for 60,000 additional public service workers. Prior to President Joe Biden taking office, the White House said that a mere 7,000 had received forgiveness under the PSLF program.
"We vowed to fix that, and because of actions from our Administration, now over 1 million public service workers have gotten the relief they are entitled to under the law," Biden said in a statement.
The PSLF program is among several the White House has touted in its efforts to reduce the burden of student loan debt for millions of Americans. The PSLF program was approved by Congress in 2007 and signed into law by President George W. Bush.
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Public service workers are eligible for debt cancellation after making the equivalent of 120 qualifying monthly payments under an accepted repayment plan while working full-time for an eligible employer.
When student loan borrowers began applying for loan forgiveness 10 years after the program went into effect, most were denied relief.
The White House said it made administrative fixes that broadened the definition of qualifying payments. The result has been far more debt cancellations being processed by the Department of Education.
Since the program was created by Congress, it has not faced the kind of scrutiny by Republicans as other changes to student loans proposed by the Biden administration.
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One of the programs that has faced legal battles is the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, which offers forgiveness to borrowers who made payments for at least 10 years and originally took out up to $12,000. Eligible borrowers would have their loans automatically forgiven. Forgiveness through the SAVE Plan remains in limbo pending court rulings.
Vice President Kamala Harris has said that she would continue efforts to bring student debt relief if elected.
"Our Administration has forgiven over $170 billion in student debt for nearly five million people throughout the country — more than any Administration in history," she said. "And while Republican elected officials do everything in their power to block millions of their own constituents from receiving this much needed economic relief, I will continue our work to lower costs, make higher education more affordable, and relieve the burden of student debt. I am fully committed to doing what is necessary to build an economy that works for every American."
Republicans have countered that programs like SAVE should not be implemented through executive order and should instead go through Congress.
“Once again, the Biden administration has decided to steal from the poor and give to the rich," said Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, who has sued the Biden administration over student loan forgiveness programs such as SAVE. "He is forcing people who did not go to college, or who worked their way through college, to pay for the loans of those who ran up exorbitant student debt. This coalition of Republican attorneys general will stand in the gap and stop Biden."
