Court stops Biden’s $475 billion student debt scandal: Taxpayers won’t be forced to foot the bill for Ivy League dreams – NaturalNews.com
Court stops Biden’s $475 billion student debt scandal: Taxpayers won’t be forced to foot the bill for Ivy League dreams
In a landmark decision, the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a resounding rebuke to former President Joe Biden’s $475 billion student debt cancellation scheme, ruling that the plan was an unconstitutional overreach of executive authority. The court’s decision marks a significant victory for fiscal responsibility and the rule of law, but it also exposes the staggering scale of government waste and moral hazard that has become all too common in Washington.
For years, conservatives have warned against the dangers of unchecked government spending and the erosion of personal responsibility. This case is a stark reminder of why those warnings matter.
SAVE plan: A $475 billion boondoggleThe Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, spearheaded by Biden’s Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, was marketed as a lifeline for struggling student borrowers. In reality, it was a thinly veiled attempt to transfer the financial burden of higher education from individuals who willingly took out loans to hardworking taxpayers who made different life choices.
Judge L. Steven Grasz, writing for the court, minced no words in his 25-page opinion. He found that Secretary Cardona had “gone well beyond” his constitutional authority, noting that Congress had never authorized such sweeping loan forgiveness. “Rather than implying by omission or other ambiguities, Congress has spoken clearly when creating a repayment plan with loan forgiveness or otherwise authorizing it — explicitly stating the Secretary should cancel, discharge, repay, or assume the remaining unpaid balance,” Grasz wrote.
The Penn Wharton Budget Model estimated that the SAVE plan would cost taxpayers $475 billion over the next decade. To put that figure into perspective, it’s more than the entire GDP of some small nations. This is not just a policy disagreement; it’s a moral outrage.
History of overreachThis isn’t the first time the Biden administration has tried to push the boundaries of executive power. In June 2023, the Supreme Court struck down a separate $430 billion student debt forgiveness plan, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing that the Education Secretary “has never previously claimed powers of this magnitude.”
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), now chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, aptly summarized the issue last year: “He isn’t ‘forgiving’ debt. He is taking the debt from those who willingly took it out to go to college and transferring it onto taxpayers who decided not to go to college or already paid off their loans.”
The Biden administration’s repeated attempts to cancel student debt were not just about helping borrowers; they were about buying votes. Congressional Republicans accused Biden of using these programs as a pre-election ploy, and the numbers back up their claims. By the time the SAVE plan was blocked, the administration had already canceled 183.6 billion in student debt, with 1.2 billion distributed just weeks before the 2024 election.
Moral hazard of debt forgivenessAt its core, the student debt cancellation debate is about fairness and accountability. Why should a single mother working two jobs to make ends meet be forced to subsidize someone else’s degree in gender studies or art history? Why should a small business owner who paid off their loans through hard work and sacrifice now foot the bill for someone else’s poor financial decisions?
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who led the lawsuit against the SAVE plan, put it bluntly on X: “This precedent is imperative to ensuring a president cannot force working Americans to foot the bill for someone else’s Ivy League debt.”
The SAVE plan’s income-based repayment structure would have cut monthly payments in half for some borrowers and eliminated them entirely for minimum-wage earners. It also promised to forgive outstanding debt for borrowers who owed $12,000 or less after 10 years of payments. While these provisions may sound compassionate, they ignore the fundamental principle that individuals should bear the consequences of their own choices.
What’s next for student loans?The court’s decision raises important questions about the future of federal student loan programs. President Trump, who has long advocated for dismantling the Department of Education, may now have the opportunity to return its responsibilities to the states. Acting Education Secretary Denise Carter and Education Secretary-designate Linda McMahon are expected to review the SAVE plan and determine whether it should be withdrawn entirely.
In the meantime, the ruling serves as a critical check on executive overreach and a reminder that the Constitution still matters. It also highlights the need for comprehensive reforms to address the root causes of the student debt crisis, such as skyrocketing tuition costs and the proliferation of low-value degree programs.
Win for taxpayers and rule of lawThe Eighth Circuit’s decision to block the SAVE plan is a victory for taxpayers, the rule of law and the principles of personal responsibility. It sends a clear message to future administrations: you cannot bypass Congress and force hardworking Americans to pay for someone else’s poor choices.
As conservatives, we must continue to fight against government waste and corruption, and advocate for policies that promote fairness, accountability and fiscal responsibility. The SAVE plan may be dead, but the battle to protect taxpayers from similar schemes is far from over.
Let this be a wake-up call to all Americans: when the government promises “free” money, someone always pays. And more often than not, that someone is you.
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