OnPolitics: COVID-19 era student loan pause remains

Sean Rossman, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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President Joe Biden arrives to speak about student debt relief at Central New Mexico Community College Student Resource Center in Albuquerque in November.
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Hey there, OnPolitics readers,

It's Sean Rossman and it's Tuesday. So let's dive into it.

President Joe Biden's plan to forgive student debt for millions of Americans may be stuck in the courts, but that doesn't mean those with loans will have to pay soon.

Biden announced Tuesday he's extending the current COVID-19-era pause on student loan payments through June 30, 2023 with payments resuming 60 days after the pause ends.

  • Why is the program on hold?: Biden's August announcement pledging to forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for millions of Americans remains stalled because two federal judges halted the program in legal challenges. That means the roughly 26 million who applied for relief are still waiting.

  • Supreme Court to the rescue?: The Biden administration appealed to the conservative-majority Supreme Court on Friday. Biden said Tuesday it's not fair for Americans eligible for relief to start paying while the court battle continues.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: OnPolitics: Biden extends student loan payment pause