Biden to provide an additional $5.8 billion in student debt relief, announces email notification for eligible recipients

The White House made an announcement on Thursday about forgiving an additional $5.8 billion in student loans for 78,000 public service workers.

Furthermore, the administration is reaching out to 380,000 more borrowers in the public sector through emails signed by President Joe Biden, informing them that they are close to receiving debt relief in one to two years.

This latest student loan assistance coincides with the president’s reelection campaign and may irk Biden’s Republican adversaries, who have accused him of attempting to “purchase votes.” Some have also criticized the president’s forgiveness initiatives for impeding the implementation of a new college financial aid form fraught with errors.

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This marks another recent outreach effort by Biden towards specific borrowers using various executive measures at his disposal. This time, he is broadening the outreach to include individuals on the verge of qualifying for similar debt forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, designed for teachers, firefighters, and other public service professionals.

During his State of the Union address earlier this month, Biden highlighted the enhancements he has made to the program, expanding eligibility for relief to a greater number of borrowers.

“When I was informed that a universal change in student loan policy wasn’t feasible, I improved two existing student loan programs to alleviate the student debt burden of nearly 4 million Americans,” said Biden.

Through the PSLF program, borrowers committed to public service for a decade or more are eligible for complete relief from their federal loans. In 2021, the administration extended the repayment timelines of numerous borrowers.

Authorities have been reviewing the accounts of millions of PSLF and income-based repayment plan borrowers, with calculations expected to be finalized by July.