US Announces $39 Billion in New Student Debt Relief

"The Biden administration announced Friday that 804,000 borrowers will have their student debt wiped away, totaling $39 billion worth of debt, in the coming weeks..." reports CNN. That's an average of $48,507 per borrower, each of whom has "been paying down their debts for 20 years or more and should qualify for relief," according to a statement from the administrationFriday's action addresses "historical failures" and administrative errors that miscounted qualifying payments made by borrowers, according to the Department of Education... Since Biden took office, his administration has approved $116.6 billion in student debt relief for more than 3.4 million Americans, according to the Department of Education... Despite the Supreme Court last month striking down Biden's loan forgiveness program to provide millions of borrowers up to $20,000 in one-time federal student debt relief, his administration has continued to pursue other avenues to cancel debt and make it easier for borrowers to receive loan forgiveness... While not part of today's actions, the Department of Education is also moving ahead with a separate and significant change to the federal student loan system that will enable Americans to enroll in a new income-driven repayment plan... Once the plan is fully implemented, people will see their monthly bills cut in half and remaining debt canceled after making at least 10 years of payments. Last month the administration described student debt relief as "good for the economy... [G]ood for the country."

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