Biden cancels student loans for 150,000 borrowers, is this fair?

In the United States, President Joe Biden's administration has taken significant steps to provide relief for student loan borrowers, particularly in his final days in office in January 2025. The latest announcement indicated that more than 150,000 borrowers would benefit from student debt forgiveness, bringing the total number of borrowers who had received relief during Biden's term to over 5 million. This effort is part of the administration's commitment to ensuring that higher education serves as a pathway to opportunity rather than a financial burden. The relief plan is diversified, targeting several vulnerable groups, including over 85,000 individuals who attended institutions accused of cheating and defrauding students, approximately 61,000 borrowers with total and permanent disabilities, and 6,100 public service workers. The administration's strategy has been to focus on revising existing debt relief programs rather than pursuing broader national forgiveness measures, particularly after a Supreme Court ruling in 2023 blocked many of Biden's initial plans for widespread student loan forgiveness. Despite the legal challenges and the eventual roadblocks imposed by the judiciary, Biden's administration has still managed to provide significant debt relief, amounting to a total of $183.6 billion since he took office. The Department of Education has worked to enhance debt relief avenues that were already in place, making improvements to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, correcting administrative errors associated with income-driven repayment plans, and raising the limits on Pell Grants. Overall, Biden’s announcements reflect a longstanding commitment to resolving the burdensome issue of student debt, particularly for the most financially vulnerable individuals. However, the political landscape remains fraught with opposition from conservative factions criticizing the cost and implications of such relief efforts. As Biden concludes his presidential term, the legacy of his administration's actions on student debt will likely continue to be debated and scrutinized.