President Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan faces another setback as a federal judge extended the temporary restraining order against it on Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Randal Hall, who was appointed by former Republican President George W. Bush, said that Biden’s plan would remain blocked for an additional 14 days.
The ruling came as the Biden administration was expected to publish its final rule on a revised student loan forgiveness plan in October. The plan could impact more than 25 million borrowers.
Hall’s decision is in response to a lawsuit brought by seven GOP-led states claiming that the U.S. Department of Education’s debt cancellation relief is illegal, CNBC reported.
Hall said the states —Florida, North Dakota, Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Missouri, and Arkansas — had made a convincing case. The judge first issued a temporary restraining order on Sept. 5 shortly after the lawsuit was filed.
The administration’s new affordable repayment plan, known as SAVE, has also been tied up in legal battles. Those enrolled in the plan, around 8 million people, do not have to make payments at this time.
