US stops accepting applications for student loan forgiveness

• The US government stopped accepting applications for student loan forgiveness.
• A Texas judge has blocked the program.
• Judge Pittman claims it is an «unconstitutional maneuver».

The US government stopped accepting applications for student loan forgiveness on Friday after a court ruling declared the plan promoted by Democrat, Joe Biden was illegal. In a statement on the website for the loan forgiveness program, the government reported that, as a result of the court decision, «applications are not accepted at this time» and indicated that the administration is working to overturn the order.

In a ruling issued Thursday, US District Judge Mark Pittman in Texas stated that the program, which seeks to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt per person, is an “unconstitutional maneuver”. Lawyers for the  Biden administration argued that the HEROES act, approved by Congress in 2003, gave the executive the authority to implement the debt cancellation plan, according to EFE.

“In this country we are not governed by an all-powerful executive”

The judge rejected this argument and stated in Thursday’s ruling that the Executive did not have «clear legislative authorization» to carry out the program: «In this country we are not governed by an all-powerful executive (…) but by a constitution that establishes three independent branches of government,” wrote Judge Pittman, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump.

This court decision came a week after the US Supreme Court rejected an attempt by a conservative organization to block the loan forgiveness program. Judge Amy Coney Barrett denied an emergency request by the California-based Pacific Legal Foundation for the high court to block the White House-sponsored policy. (Filed as: Student loan forgiveness on hold)

Student loan forgiveness program is temporarily suspended

The program, for which some 26 million people have already applied, is temporarily suspended by order of another federal court following a complaint led by six states with Republican governors. At the end of August, Biden announced that he will forgive part of the debt held by millions of university students, in a nod to the youth vote before the midterms  on November 8.

The president announced the cancellation of up to $20,000 of debt per student, but this measure will only benefit those who earn less than $125,000 a year for singles and $250,000 dollars a year for married couples. (Filed as: student loan forgiveness on hold)

Biden calls for redoubling efforts against climate change

President Biden, speaking Friday at the annual UN climate conference, called on world leaders to redouble their resolve to combat climate change, saying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reinforces the need to eliminate dependence on fossil fuels, according to the AP.

«We cannot plead ignorance about the consequences of our actions or continue to repeat our mistakes,» he said. Biden’s brief participation in the conference known as COP27 was mostly a celebratory visit, as the president emphasized new spending on clean energy initiatives that will «change the paradigm» for the United States and the rest of the world (Filed as: Student loan forgiveness on hold)

“This meeting must be the moment to recommit our future”

But Biden overlooked how he has pushed to increase oil and gas production to cut costs that have been politically problematic at home and fueled the invasion of Ukraine by allowing Russia higher prices for its fuel exports: «This meeting must be the moment to recommit our future and our shared ability to write a better story for the world,” Biden said.

The US president spent three hours in Egypt, where he met with autocratic leader Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, before continuing on an international tour. Biden will first travel to Cambodia for the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Countries, where he will reiterate the United States’ commitment to the region in the face of Chinese influence. With information from EFE and The Associated Press. (Filed under: Student loan forgiveness on hold)