President Joe Biden has been making good on his promises to try his best and offer relief from the crushing burden of runaway student debt in the U.S. But, of course, he's been thwarted at multiple turns by Congress and even the U.S. Supreme Court.
Now, thankfully, he's trying again - and we must speak up to ensure Congress finally supports these important efforts. Sign the petition to stand by the middle class and fight skyrocketing student loan debt!A year ago, in 2023, the Supreme Court blocked Biden's bold attempt at forgiving some debt related to student loans for higher education, but luckily Biden's team has learned from the setback.
Their new plan would specifically apply to borrowers who are experiencing financial hardship, and provide assistance by targeting the outrageously high interest rates applied to student loans. In the U.S.,
federal student loan interest rates are sometimes higher than 8% - which is wildly higher than rates on many other types of loans.Because the interest rates can be so high, student loan amounts can increase rapidly as the interest compounds and the expenses accumulate over time.
This makes it incredibly difficult for borrowers to successfully pay off their loans - instead, many former students find they're falling behind.In fact, according to the federal government, upwards of 25 million people now owe more in federal student loans than the amount they originally borrowed! And that's all from these exorbitant interest rates piling those amounts higher and higher.
But under President Biden's new plan, low- and middle-income borrowers could have up to $20,000 of this unpaid interest forgiven.
The big danger now is that Congress or the Supreme Court could get in the way again. But student loan debt has been ruining Americans' lives, and even impacting the whole economy by making it more difficult for borrowers to afford basic necessities and participate in marketplace consumption of goods.
Younger Americans can no longer afford to purchase homes, often live paycheck to paycheck, and increasingly fear they'll wind up worse off, economically, than their parents.
We must urge Congress to do the right thing for the American people and stand up for Biden's student loan forgiveness efforts! Members of Congress should work together and pass laws codifying an extensive student loan forgiveness program now! Sign the petition to stand up for the middle class!