Millions of people in the United States are hoping that the government will cancel their student debt. But the conservative-dominated Supreme Court is opposed to the project. It is also about "fairness" towards those who have financed their studies themselves.
US President Joe Biden's plan to cancel student debt of around $400 billion could fail in the country's Supreme Court. At a hearing, the conservative majority of judges on the Supreme Court appeared to think that the government exceeded its powers with the measure.
"Shouldn't Congress be surprised if half a trillion dollars is wiped off the books?" Conservative Supreme Court President John Roberts asked. "This case raises extremely important questions about the role of Congress." Congress controls the budget in the United States. Constitutional judge Neil Gorsuch, who is also conservative, said it was also a question of "fairness", for example towards people who had repaid their debts and people who had not taken on any debt.
Biden announced last August that he would waive millions of federal student debts of up to $20,000 each. The government expects costs of around 400 billion dollars (around 378 billion euros). The government of Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, had put student debt repayments on hold during the corona pandemic. She referred to a law from 2003 that allows such action in "national emergencies". The Biden administration argues the law also allows student debt cancellation.
Conservative states, however, went to court, and the case ended up before the Supreme Court. The Biden government now argued at the hearing that it had not exceeded its powers and was acting within the framework of the 2003 law.
Biden himself wrote on Twitter that canceling student debt is of paramount importance to 40 million people "while they recover from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic". "We are confident that it is legal. We are fighting for this in court." The Supreme Court, on which conservative judges have a clear majority, has until the end of June to render a verdict.
Around 200 demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse during the hearing, calling for student debt to be canceled. "In America, nobody should be threatened with financial ruin because they want a damn education," said left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders. Education and training from daycare to university is a human right.
Going to college in the US can be very expensive. According to the US government, 43 million US citizens currently have $1.6 trillion in student debt.
