The Biden-Harris administration has announced an additional $4.5 billion in student debt relief, benefiting over 60,000 public service workers. This latest round of relief brings the total student loan cancellation to more than $175 billion, helping nearly 5 million borrowers since President Joe Biden took office in 2021. This relief covers approximately 11% of all federal student loan debt, including $74 billion held by 1 million public service workers.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, established in 2007, had only granted relief to 7,000 public servants before the Biden administration. Since then, the number has grown significantly, thanks to reforms prioritized by the administration.
“From Day One, the Biden-Harris administration made fixing this broken program a top priority," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in the announcement. "Today, I’m tremendously proud that over one million teachers, nurses, social workers, veterans, and other public servants have received life-changing loan forgiveness."
Under Biden's leadership, over 1.4 million borrowers have received $56.5 billion in relief through income-driven repayment plans. Additionally, more than 1.6 million people who were misled by their schools received $28.7 billion in debt relief, and nearly 572,000 borrowers with permanent disabilities were granted $16.2 billion in relief.
Though the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Biden's one-time student loan forgiveness program in 2023, which aimed to provide up to $20,000 in relief per borrower, the administration has continued to use existing programs to provide relief. The administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan is currently tied up in legal battles, as several Republican-led states have sued to block its implementation.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in Georgia allowed a temporary block on Biden's latest student loan forgiveness program to expire. If it survives further legal challenges, it could provide relief to over 30 million Americans.
Vice President Kamala Harris emphasized her commitment to making higher education more affordable and reducing the burden of student debt. “Higher education should be a pathway to economic opportunity – not a lifetime of debt,” she said, while also criticizing Republican efforts to block these initiatives.
As the administration continues its push for student debt relief, public service workers and millions of other borrowers stand to benefit from these efforts, despite ongoing legal challenges.
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