Biden Launches New Student Debt Repayment Plan In Wake Of Supreme Court Ruling
The Biden administration has unveiled the beta website of its new student debt repayment plan after the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the president’s student loan forgiveness plan in June.
CNN reports that the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan is an income-driven repayment program that could lower monthly payments for some borrowers and reduce the payback amount in the long run. The full website is slated to launch in August, two months before the restart of federal student loan payments in October.
“Part of the president’s overall commitment is to improve the student loan system and reduce the burden of student loan debt on American families,” a senior administration official told CNN. “The SAVE plan is a big part of that. It is important in this moment as borrowers are getting ready to return to repayment.”
Under the SAVE plan, payments are determined based on income and family size. Borrowers with an annual income of $32,805 for single households or $67,500 for a family of four could qualify for $0 payments.
The application process, which takes approximately 10 minutes, is open during the beta testing period. Approval can take a few weeks in a process that can be tracked online. Borrowers who apply now will not have to resubmit after the official launch. Unlike past systems, borrowers don’t have to renew their applications each year.
Student loan repayments were paused because of the financial hardships borrowers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many hoped that President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel student loan debt up to $20,000 would survive the high court’s scrutiny.
However, the court’s ruling forced the administration to take a different route to keep the president’s campaign promise to tackle the student debt crisis.
A Biden administration official told CNN that previous income-driven repayment plans similar to the SAVE plan have survived legal challenges.