Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has joined onto multistate amicus briefs in two lawsuits challenging the Biden Administration and its student loan debt forgiveness program announced last year. President Biden’s executive order directed the Department of Education to take steps to expand relief for student loan borrowers by making more borrowers eligible for loan forgiveness and by streamlining the application process for forgiveness.
The two lawsuits in which Paxton has filed amicus briefs — Brown v. Department of Education and Biden V. Nebraska — allege that Biden’s executive order is unconstitutional because it exceeds the president’s authority and does not provide clear criteria for determining which borrowers will be eligible for relief. According to the attorney general’s statement, Paxton said he believes the order “does nothing to lower the cost of higher education” and forces taxpayers to pay off an individuals’ college debt.
Supporters of Paxton’s lawsuit argue that the executive order is an override of presidential power and it is important to uphold the separation of powers. Meanwhile, supporters of Biden’s student loan forgiveness efforts argue that these efforts are an attempt to undermine the efforts of the Biden Administration to address the student debt crisis and make higher education affordable.
The student debt crisis has been a major issue in the United States; millions of Americans are struggling to repay their loans and facing financial insecurity as a result. The Biden Administration has made addressing the student debt crisis a priority, and the executive order on student loan forgiveness was seen by education activists as a major step in making higher education accessible and affordable for all Americans.