The US President suffered a painful setback on student debt and ruled that his administration had exceeded its powers by passing a costly program without Congressional approval.
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Published on 07/01/2023 09:32
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People demonstrate outside the United States Supreme Court following the decision to overturn a landmark measure by Joe Biden on student debt, July 1, 2023. (CELAL GUNES / ANADOLU AGENCY / AFP)
These are two decisions that confirm his anchoring in the right area. The United States Supreme Court on Friday, June 30 for the first time authorized certain companies to ban LGBT+ customers, then voided a flagship measure by Joe Biden on student debt. The day before, the Supreme Court, which Donald Trump had fundamentally overhauled, had abolished the affirmative action policy at the university, one of the achievements of the civil rights struggle of the 1960s aimed at increasing diversity on campus.
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Like a year ago, during the historic abortion reversal, these three judgments were made with the support of the six conservative judges against the opinion of the three progressive judges. Republicans warmly welcomed each of these decisions, while Democrats, led by Joe Biden, expressed strong disapproval.
“Millions of Americans are disappointed”
The President of the United States first said he was “very concerned” about the increased risk of discrimination against sexual minorities. However, he suffered the most painful setback because of student debt. At the start of the pandemic, Donald Trump’s administration froze repayments on these loans under a 2003 law that allows student debt holders “relief” in the event of a “national emergency.” This measure ends on August 31st. In anticipation of that deadline, Joe Biden announced in August that he would remove up to $20,000 from the list of middle-income borrowers.
The Supreme Court ruled that his administration exceeded its powers by passing this costly program without Congressional approval. “There are millions of Americans who are disappointed, discouraged and even a little angry about the shutdown, and I have to admit I am, too,” he said during a televised address. Joe Biden, who is counting on working-class support to win a new mandate in 2024, promptly announced a new plan to “unburden as many borrowers as possible and as quickly as possible”. This new plan will respect that ruling, the president said, and be based on a different text, the 1965 Higher Education Act.
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