Conservatives Launch Legal Fight Against Biden’s Potential Backup Plan for Student Debt Relief

The Supreme Court hasn’t ruled yet on whether President Joe Biden can move forward with his student debt relief plan. But conservative opponents are already waging a legal fight to stop a potential backup route for Biden to cancel student debt if the court rules against him.  Republican attorneys general last week urged the Supreme Court to weigh in on a case involving the Education Department’s authority to “compromise” debts under the Higher Education Act. That’s the legal power many progressives want the Biden to invoke as a second option to cancel student debt if his first attempt — which is based on emergency powers tied to the Covid pandemic — gets struck down by the court in the coming months.