A day after a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the student debt relief plan, the US Education Secretary said in an opinion article that his department was moving full speed ahead.
The administration's support for the student loan forgiveness plan was reiterated by Cardona in the USA Today op-ed.
"Amid some Republicans trying to block the debt relief program, the department is moving full speed ahead with preparations for the lawful implementation of our program so we can deliver relief to borrowers who need it most," he wrote. 22 million people have given information to the department about their eligibility for student debt relief.
In framing the debt relief plan as one that would benefit working and middle class families, Cardona criticized efforts by several Republican attorneys general to invalidate Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.
In seven states, Republican attorneys general and officials have sued to block this effort, leaving the financial security of tens of millions of working and middle class Americans to hang in the balance. Some cases have been dropped despite their efforts.
US District Judge Henry Edward Autrey dismissed a lawsuit from the GOP attorneys general in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Carolina, which argued that the forgiveness plan would harm the states' tax revenue.
According to Autrey, the plan can be taken legal action on its own.
The opinion said that Missouri didn't meet its burden to show that it could rely on harms. It is possible to be sued in its own name and retain financial independence.
The group in their lawsuit claimed that the president exceeded his constitutional authority in crafting the policy without congressional approval.
On Friday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an administrative stay that temporarily blocks Biden's plan from moving forward.
In August, the president announced that he would forgive federal student-loan debt for borrowers earning under $125,000 per year, with up to $20,000 in relief for those who received a Pell grant. A new income-driven repayment plan would cap monthly student loan repayments at 5% of income.
According to the Education Department, about 90 percent of the plan's benefits will affect people with incomes under $75,000.
There are people in both red and blue states. He wrote that parents took out loans to get their children into college.
There are people with degrees and certificates. "These are people who will have the task of rebuilding our roads and bridges, and the same people Republicans promised to fight for when they were elected, but now they're suing to prevent them from getting relief."
The Biden administration is facing legal challenges over its debt relief plan from several groups.
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