The latest chapter in Joe Biden's Magical Debt Disappearing Act has been temporarily stopped by two federal judges who, along with a bunch of Republican states, have reminded everyone that only Congress has the power to erase student debt.
Both judges hit the pause button on Monday, blocking Biden's latest attempt to cancel student loans under the fancily named "Saving on a Valuable Education" (SAVE) repayment plan.
Don't forget: Horrific policy isn't horrific policy if it has a nice acronym!
SAVE was supposed to kick off on July 1. However, Kansas and Missouri led the charge against Biden's plan with multi-state lawsuits this spring.
The SAVE plan was set to "cancel" at least $156 billion in student loans, and by "cancel" they mean shifting that burden to taxpayers.
Missouri's lawsuit claims this plan would hit American taxpayers with a $475 billion bill over the next decade.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach led another multi-state coalition to sue Biden, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, and the whole Department of Education. They're arguing that Biden's trying to bypass Congress (SHOCKER!) to approve another round of student debt cancellation, with this latest attempt coming after the Supreme Court smacked down a similar plan last June that would've transferred up to $430 billion in student debt to — you guessed it — taxpayers.
Kobach's lawsuit hinges on the obvious fact that the Department of Education can't skip over Congress to transfer debt from one group of Americans to another.
Kansas and Missouri were also part of the crew that challenged Biden's Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act last year (See? Another acronym!), with the Supreme Court ruling 6 - 3 that Cardona didn't have the authority to cancel around $430 billion in student debt.
Kris Kobach, fresh off his win, declared, "Kansas's victory today is a win for the entire country."
He went on to say:
Forgiving billions in student debt is a big deal that only Congress can handle. Biden's trying to take over Congress's role, and that's not just unconstitutional — it's downright unfair. Why should blue-collar workers in Kansas, who didn't go to college, have to foot the bill for New Yorkers with degrees in gender studies?
Missouri's Attorney General Andrew Bailey chimed in too, calling the injunction a "huge win for the Constitution."
Since Biden took office, almost five million Americans who have made poor educational choices have had $167 billion in student debt "canceled," with the tab conveniently shifted to taxpayers.
If you end up paying someone else's bills - well, I guess you should have gone to Berkeley to study History of Transgender Water Polo!
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