President Joe Biden’s approach to student debt forgiveness has garnered low approval ratings, even across student debt holders, according to a new UChicago Harris/AP-NORC Poll.
Despite ongoing efforts to keep his campaign promise afloat, only three in 10 adults approve while four in 10 adults disapprove of Biden’s handling of student loan debt, according to the poll. Across adults who still hold student loan debt, only 36% approve of Biden’s debt plan while 34% disapprove.
In June of 2023, the Supreme Court struck down Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan in a 6-3 ruling. The plan attempted to forgive student loans for nearly 40 million Americans through the 2003 HEROES Act, where the secretary of Education would be able to “waive or modify” some financial assistance qualifications in the event of a national emergency.
In response to the ruling, the Biden administration introduced another student debt relief plan, known as the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan. The plan, which has been hit with lawsuits by Kansas and Missouri, would limit student loan repayments to 5% of someone’s monthly income as opposed to the previous 10%. The Department of Education just approved another $613 million in debt forgiveness under the SAVE plan despite the ongoing lawsuits, according to a press release.
Biden and other Democrats have made student debt relief a top campaign issue. Popularity for Biden’s handling of student debt is generally low, but it does vary across partisan lines, according to the poll.
Among Democrats, 55% approve of Biden’s approach to remedy student loan debt, while 18% disapprove and 28% are either neutral or don’t know, according to the poll. A dismal 9% of Republicans approve of Biden’s handling of student loans, while a staggering 71% disapprove.
Independents also expressed a low approval rating for Biden’s handling of the student loan debt relief. Less than a quarter, only 18%, of independents surveyed said they approve of Biden’s handling of the issue, while 28% disapprove and 54% are either neutral or don’t know.
Since entering office, Biden has forgiven $153 billion of debt for 4.3 million Americans, according to a White House press release.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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