WATCH: Kobach condemns Biden student loan forgiveness plans
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach held a press conference on a lawsuit of the Biden Administration's student loan forgiveness program Thursday.
Kobach says his office, along with 10 other state attorneys general, will sue President Joe Biden over the "student loan forgiveness scheme." The lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court.
“Once again, the Biden administration has decided to steal from the poor and give to the rich," Kobach said. "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."
The attorneys general argue the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) doesn't have the authority to change student loan repayment plans. They also argue the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a previous version of Biden's student loan forgiveness program last year.
Biden's plan would automatically dismiss $1.2 billion in loans for more than 150,000 borrowers who meet eligibility requirements, according to a DOE announcement in 2024.
“With today’s announcement, we are once again sending a clear message to borrowers who had low balances: if you’ve been paying for a decade, you’ve done your part, and you deserve relief,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in February 2024. “Under President Biden’s leadership, our Administration has now approved loan forgiveness for nearly 3.9 million borrowers, and our historic fight to cancel student debt isn’t over yet.”
The other state attorneys general that have signed on to the lawsuit include Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas and Utah. The lawsuit can be read in full by clicking here or by reading the document below:
1747fd3fa045c6d769d9bff0400a29f96 by Matthew Self on Scribd
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