Bob Menendez Joins Student Loan Protesters Outside Supreme Court

NEW JERSEY — With the U.S. Supreme Court apparently on the brink of sinking President Joe Biden's plan to reduce student loans for millions of Americans, supporters continue their demands to “cancel student debt” – including Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey.

On Tuesday, Menendez joined students, parents and advocates at a rally outside the Supreme Court. The rally was held in support of Biden’s plan to cancel $10,000 or $20,000 in federal student debt for millions of Americans. The initiative has since hit a roadblock in the courts.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case on Tuesday. A decision is expected by late June. Read More: Supreme Court Seems Ready To Reject Student Loan Forgiveness

“Canceling student loan debt is the right thing to do,” Menendez said, echoing a call from activists who have been pushing for years on the issue.

“It is the right thing to do when we grant tens of millions of hard-working Americans some economic relief,” Menendez continued. “It is the right thing to do when we fight for an equitable higher education system where every American can have a shot at prosperity. It is the right thing to do when we live up to our founding creed of fairness, affording today’s generation the same opportunities that prior ones enjoyed.”

“Opponents of student loan cancellation are on the wrong side of history,” he added.

Menendez’s office cited White House statistics on Biden’s plan:

“According to the White House, more than 759,000 borrowers in New Jersey have already applied for student loan forgiveness and many more are expected to benefit from the Administration’s plan. Nationally, it is estimated that more than 40 million Americans would benefit from these student debt relief efforts, of which a significant number are Black and Latino federal borrowers. About half of all Latino borrowers will have their entire federal student debt forgiven, while the typical Black borrower will see their balance cut nearly in half and more than one in four Black borrowers will see their balance forgiven altogether.”

Chief Justice John Roberts was among the justices who suggested that the administration exceeded its authority with the plan. During Tuesday’s arguments, he pointed to its wide impact and hefty expense as reasons the administration should have gotten explicit approval from Congress, the Associated Press reported.

The program is estimated to cost $400 billion over 30 years, the Associated Press reported.

• Read More: Biden Student Debt Relief Plan Blocked By Judge (What To Know In NJ)
• Read More: Biden Scales Back Student Loan Forgiveness (How It Impacts NJ)

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