President Joe Biden’s student loan cancellation plan will cost an estimated $400 billion over 30 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Biden last month announced a plan to forgive $10,000 in federal student loans for borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year, or have a household income of under $250,000 if filing jointly. Low-income Pell Grant borrowers are eligible for an additional $10,000 cut.
In addition to the costs to forgive that debt, the CBO estimated the cost of Biden’s pause on student loan payments from September through December 2022 will total $20 billion.
The CBO is a nonpartisan agency that calculates the costs of federal revenue and spending plans for Congress. Its latest analysis does not include the cost of adjustments to income-driven repayment plans. Biden’s executive order lowered the cap a borrower would have to pay on their student loans to 5% of their income, down from 10%. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a think tank opposed to Biden’s student loan plan, has estimated the change will cost an additional $120 billion.