President Joe Biden’s veto of a bill intended to block his plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for some borrowers remains standing after House Republicans failed to garner the two-thirds majority needed to override.
After the Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined that Biden’s plan was subject to the Congressional Review Act (CRA), House Republicans moved to block the president’s proposal, The Hill reported. Republicans have argued that student loan forgiveness would cost the American taxpayer $400 billion and is unfair to those who repaid their student loans or didn’t attend college. (RELATED: Suzanne Downing: Biden’s Wacky Student Loan Plan Is An Insult To Common Sense)
House Republicans were not able to convince the majority they needed in order to overturn President Biden’s veto of a resolution that would have canceled up to $20,000 in student debt relief. https://t.co/RTxae6FRMZ
— The Hill (@thehill) June 21, 2023
The subsequent resolution passed both the House and the Democrat-majority Senate after gaining support from Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana, as well as Independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Earlier in June, however, Biden vetoed the resolution, arguing that student loan relief would help offset the financial strains felt by borrowers during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite having enough support to pass the initial resolution, House Republicans failed to garner enough support Wednesday to overcome Biden’s veto. The resulting 221-206 vote in the House was among party lines. Although Congress was unable to overturn Biden’s veto, the Supreme Court still must rule on the measure. Republican attorney generals and conservative groups have argued that Biden’s plan is “an illegal abuse of executive power.”