Republican presidential candidates are applauding the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority to strike down President Biden's ambitious and expensive student debt relief program.
In a 6-3 decision Friday, the high court ruled that the White House lacked the legal authorization to provide billions in federal loan forgiveness for borrowers, absent clear authorization from Congress.
The move by the Supreme Court will prevent more than 40 million low- and middle-income borrowers from receiving $10,000 in federal loan forgiveness under the Biden administration's plan — and is a major defeat for the president on one of his key 2020 election campaign promises.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said the Biden administration's plan was "an egregious violation of the Constitution," adding that he was "pleased that the Court struck down the Radical Left’s effort to use the money of taxpayers who played by the rules and repaid their debts in order to cancel the debt of bankers and lawyers in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C."
Pence touted that he was "honored to have played a role in appointing three of the Justices that ensured today’s welcomed decision, and as President I will continue to appoint judges who will strictly apply the law and enforce our Constitution’s separation of powers."
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina also applauded the ruling.
"The U.S. Supreme Court was right to end the illegal and immoral effort by the Biden Administration to transfer student debt to taxpayers," he said in a statement to Fox News.
In a digital video, Scott argued that "Joe Biden wants you to pay off student loans of lawyers and professors. I want to strengthen vocational education and apprenticeships."
"We need more welders, carpenters, and electricians. These are the jobs that built America and these are the jobs liberal elites can't shift to China. College isn't the only path to the American dream and it's time for a president who values hard work and the people who do it," the senator emphasized.
Former ambassador and former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina emphasized in a statement that "a president cannot just wave his hand and eliminate loans for students he favors, while leaving out all those who worked hard to pay back their loans or made other career choices. The Supreme Court was right to throw out Joe Biden’s power grab."
Republican presidential candidate, entrepreneur and conservative commentator Vivek Ramaswamy charged that the Biden plan was "disastrous."
"We have a bad habit in America of paying people to do the exact opposite of what we want them to do: more $$ to stay at home than to work, more $$ to be a single mother than married, more $$ for those who *fail* to repay loans than those who do. As a matter of policy, this decision helps reverse that trend," Ramaswamy argued.
Fox News' Bill Mears contributed to this story
