Two federal judges in Kansas and Missouri issued injunctions on July 1, 2024, preventing the implementation of certain components of President Biden's student loan repayment plan, Save. The rulings came as a result of lawsuits filed by Republican-led states challenging the administration's authority to enact these changes.
The first ruling by Judge Daniel D. Crabtree in Kansas blocked the final component of Save that was set to reduce borrowers' payments by half in July. This component, which aimed to cut monthly payments for undergraduate borrowers with federal student loans, was a significant part of Biden's agenda to provide relief to student borrowers.
The second ruling by Judge John A. Ross in Missouri enjoined the Education Department from forgiving any more loans through Save. This injunction prevents the department from implementing loan forgiveness for eligible borrowers under this program.
Eleven Republican-led states, led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, filed a lawsuit against the SAVE program in late March in U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. The next month, Missouri and six other states sued in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Both suits argued that Biden had exceeded his authority and that the repayment plan was a backhanded attempt to wipe debts clean.
The preliminary injunctions freeze parts of the SAVE plan until the cases are decided. The White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, issued a statement expressing disagreement with the court decisions and stating that