The Biden administration will stop accepting applications for federal student loan forgiveness, according to a note on the official application website, after a Texas court struck it down and deemed the program an “unconstitutional exercise” Thursday.
“Courts have issued orders blocking our student debt relief program,” the Federal Student Aid website now reads, adding they are not accepting applications while the administration seeks to overturn the Texas decision.
Miguel Cardona, the U.S. Secretary of Education, announced the Department of Justice has already appealed the Texas ruling in a statement Friday.
Judge Mark Pittman ruled in favor of the conservative group Job Creators Network Foundation, which filed a lawsuit against the program on behalf of two student loan borrowers.
An October decision by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals had already temporarily halted the program after a request from a group of Republican attorneys general.