Congressional Republicans are looking for ways to fight against President Joe Biden's plan to cancel billions in student debt.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Republicans plan to use the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to strike down regulations within a set time frame. The act would force Democratic lawmakers to pick a side on the legislation even though Biden would most likely strike down an attempt by Congress to halt his $400 billion plan.
GOP lawmakers can use the Congressional Review Act after the Government Accountability Office confirmed that Biden's plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans constituted a federal regulation subject to the Administrative Procedures Act, allowing it to be overturned through a Congressional Review Act resolution.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) joined Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and John Cornyn (R-TX) to put the plan in motion, putting pressure on centrist lawmakers who are up for re-election next year.
"President Biden's student loan scheme does not 'forgive' debt. It just transfers the burden from those who willingly took out loans to those who never went to college or sacrificed to pay their loans off," Cassidy said. "This resolution prevents these Americans, whose debts look different from the favored group the Biden administration has selected, from picking up the bill for this irresponsible and unfair policy."
Senate Republicans can use the measure with only 30 senators supporting it. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on Biden's program sometime in June.
The measure would only need a simple majority to pass, and not all Democrats are on board with Biden's plan, such as Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
"I'll review the full text of the CRA when it is released, but as I said before, I disagree with President Biden's executive action on student loans because it doesn't address the root problems that make college unaffordable," said Cortez Masto.
Manchin has also failed to signal support for the president's plan.
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