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A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan — halting any debt from being erased. But the administration is encouraging people to continue submitting their applications.
The Friday evening ruling comes less than a week since the application portal went live. Already, nearly 22 million people — more than half of qualifying borrowers — have signed up. The administration could have begun processing applications and changing loan balances beginning Sunday.
« The order does not reverse the trial court’s dismissal of the case, or suggest that the case has merit, » White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Friday evening. « It merely prevents debt from being discharged until the court makes a decision. »
The block was issued by the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is considering a motion from six Republican-led states to stop the program.
