Matt Lesser

Sen. Lesser Releases Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on Student Loan Forgiveness

HARTFORD, CT – State Senator Matt Lesser(D-Middletown) issues a statement on the Supreme Court ruling which strikes down President Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness program, which would have forgiven up to $10,000 in debt for borrowers earning less than $125,000 a year and an additional $10,000 for Pell Grant recipients.

“This is yet another egregious ruling by an activist Supreme Court increasingly out of touch with the American people,” said Sen. Lesser. “In this case, Secretary Cardona’s debt relief plan was clearly authorized by Congress in the 2003 HEROES Act – which was put into use by Democratic and Republican Secretaries of Education during the pandemic. Today’s decision will hurt Connecticut’s economy and I urge the Biden Administration to explore other administrative avenues for relief. Here in Connecticut, our newly funded Office of Student Loan Ombudsman will soon help borrowers navigate a complicated and confusing landscape and access help and support. I strongly encourage residents to use this resource. Higher education remains a critical pathway to prosperity and the middle class, but the Supreme Court’s decision today makes things harder for a vast number of people.”

Back in 2015, Senator Lesser fought to create the Student Loan Bill of Rights, which authorized a Student Loan Ombudsman within the Department of Banking. Connecticut was the first state in the country to regulate student loan servicer companies. This session, the budget included funding for the Student Loan Ombudsman to directly help Connecticut borrowers navigate loan repayment and other issues.