Karen Lucero 
EDINBURG – The Supreme Court announced on December 1st they will hear the student loan debt relief case next February following several lawsuits against the Biden Administration. Applications for student loan debt relief were closed after federal district court judge, Mark Pitman declared the $400 billion program unlawful.
This comes after the Biden administration justified the student loan forgiveness program with the Heroes act, which allows changes to be made to programs like student loans in case of national emergencies, this being the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The lawsuit says ‘this is a major overreach by the administration. They have claimed authority that congress never really intended to give them,” said Charles Olney, associate professor of political science at UTRGV.
The Department of Education started sending out emails to borrowers on November 19 stating their application was approved despite the ongoing case
“Right now, it is up to the legal system on how these events will unfold,” said Rob Trevino, UTRGV senior associate director for financial aid. “What we are telling our students is they can still go on that site [studentaid.gov] and they can sign up to receive any more information that develops.”
President Biden announced on November 22 the extension on the pause on student loan payments until after June of next year allowing borrowers to plan.
Trevino said borrowers can get help if they have trouble paying their loans after the pause ends.
“Letting them know ‘I am in between jobs’ for example or ‘I am back in school; all those scenarios will help the student to explore options with their loan servicer on what they can do if they cannot make payments,” said Trevino.
For the latest updates on the student loan debt relief program, visit the department of education at ed.gov.
