Democratic 2024 presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has added student loan debt cancellation to his platform after the Supreme Court on Friday overturned attempts by the Biden administration to impose a similar program.
According to White House figures, more than 40 million Americans would have benefitted from the debt relief, with borrowers due to restart paying off their federal student loans in October, following an over three-year hiatus in response to the coronavirus pandemic. President Joe Biden's program would have granted student borrowers earning less than $125,000 a year up to $10,000 in debt relief, with $20,000 available to Pell Grant recipients who come from low-income households.
Hours after the ruling, Kennedy Jr.—an heir to the Kennedy political dynasty—published a Twitter thread criticizing the Biden administration's inability to defend its program following a 6-3 ruling by the Court's conservative majority determining Biden acted beyond the scope of his office by cancelling federally-held student debt without the consent of Congress.
Rather than enacting a plan he knew would withstand a court challenge, Kennedy wrote, Biden instead pursued a hollow solution that failed to withstand legal scrutiny, causing him to falter on a campaign pledge that was seen as central to his appeal among young voters in the 2020 presidential election.
"The unfortunate SCOTUS ruling striking down President Biden's #studentloan forgiveness program was the predictable result of Biden's failure to bring Congress together on this issue of crucial importance to young Americans," Kennedy Jr. tweeted.
"President Biden knew his plan wouldn't survive a legal challenge," he added. "[...] As President, I will galvanize public support to pressure Congress to put down their partisan positions and legislate meaningful relief to the tens of millions of Americans who are drowning in student debt."
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Kennedy Jr. told Newsweek that the "meaningful relief" he was referring to was "some form of student debt forgiveness."
The unfortunate SCOTUS ruling striking down President Biden's #studentloan forgiveness program was the predictable result of Biden's failure to bring Congress together on this issue of crucial importance to young Americans.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 30, 2023
While Biden announced a series of prospective reforms Friday afternoon intended to buy time for a more lasting decision—including a 12-month "on-ramp" for borrowers to resume payments without significant impacts to their credit—progressive groups and politicians quickly called on Biden to take on more unilateral actions to see the policy through.
Senator Bernie Sanders—a Vermont independent and runner-up of the 2016 and 2020 Democratic primaries—released a statement on Friday calling on the Biden administration to immediately implement a Plan B to cancel student debt by invoking Biden's authority under the 1965 Higher Education Act, comparing it to a similar authority invoked by the presidency to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in COVID-relief funds the government had loaned out during the pandemic.
Others like author Marianne Williamson, a Democrat who is also challenging Biden in 2024 for the presidency, called for more drastic measures on Twitter—including expanding the number of justices on the bench.
"As President, I will expand the Court if necessary," she wrote. "Nothing in the Constitution says it's limited to 9 justices. We must also introduce ethics rules for SCOTUS justices, and consider term limits. Our current SCOTUS has gone rogue in service to their corporatist sponsors."
As President, I will expand the Court if necessary.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) June 30, 2023
Nothing in the Constitution says it's limited to 9 justices.
We must also introduce ethics rules for SCOTUS justices, and consider term limits.
Our current SCOTUS has gone rogue in service to their corporatist sponsors.2/2
