(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden moved to discharge federal student loans for more than 150,000 people on Monday, in a final push that will bring the total number of borrowers who received loan forgiveness under his administration to over 5 million people.
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The Education Department is canceling debt for individuals who were cheated or defrauded by their institutions, people with severe disabilities, or public servants, according to a press release.
Easing the burden of student loan debt was one of Biden’s signature campaign promises in the 2020 election, but his efforts to carry out that pledge were hit by legal obstacles, most notably the Supreme Court blocking a plan that would have slashed up to $20,000 in debt for over 40 million people.
Biden subsequently moved to adopt less ambitious, more piecemeal efforts to ease loan debt. Those efforts still saw the administration forgive $183.6 billion for over 5 million people through changes to existing federal debt management offerings.
“I’m proud to say we have forgiven more student loan debt than any other administration in history,” Biden said in a statement.
The Education Department’s latest action comes after it pulled its unfinished proposals for an alternative plan for broad forgiveness that could have helped about 27 million borrowers. That effort also faced challenges, mostly from attorneys general in Republican states.
President-elect Donald Trump sharply criticized Biden’s student-debt relief efforts on the campaign trail.
The incoming administration is likely to drop most of the student debt initiatives undertaken by Biden, though its unclear to what extent they will continue some of the Education Department’s efforts to streamline previously ineffective federal programs, such as income-driven repayment plans or the public service loan forgiveness program.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona jabbed at the first Trump administration on a call with reporters Monday.
“The system was broken, and when these borrowers reached out for help, the previous administration showed little interest in fixing it,” Cardona said.
Mismanaged federal student-loan plans have left some borrowers without promised relief after making payments for as long as 25 years. According to an Education Department spokesperson, staffers are committed to cooperating with the Trump transition team.