Several Tennessee U.S. lawmakers reacted in social media statements Friday to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to strike down the Biden administration’s proposal to cancel hundreds of billions in student loan debt.
The Court’s majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, declared that the Biden Education Department had “no authorization for the Secretary’s plan when examined using the ordinary tools of statutory interpretation—let alone ‘clear congressional authorization’ for such a program.”
Many Tennessee Republican lawmakers applauded the Court’s ruling on Twitter, including U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), who joined a group of Senate Republicans in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court pushing back on the Biden administration’s student-loan debt relief program earlier this year.
Tennesseans should not be forced to pay for coastal elites to get their PhD in gender studies. Today’s Supreme Court ruling confirms what we’ve known for quite some time: President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan is an unconstitutional power grab.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) June 30, 2023
On Twitter, Blackburn called the debt relief program an “unconstitutional power grab,” adding, “Tennesseans should not be forced to pay for coastal elites to get their PhD in gender studies.”
The Biden Admin’s attempt to force hardworking Americans to pay for loans they didn’t take & degrees they didn’t receive is neither fair nor right, & today SCOTUS confirmed it’s also illegal. I’m pleased that SCOTUS struck down this brazen, politically motivated violation of law.
— Senator Bill Hagerty (@SenatorHagerty) June 30, 2023
Hagerty similarly branded the Biden administration’s loan relief program as a “brazen, politically motivated violation of law,” adding, “The Biden Admin’s attempt to force hard working Americans to pay for loans they didn’t take & degrees they didn’t receive is neither fair nor right, & today SCOTUS confirmed it’s also illegal.”
President Biden never had the authority to force the vast majority of Americans, who either didn’t attend college or already paid off their debt, to pay for the student loans that other people took out.
I’m glad that the Supreme Court struck down this unconstitutional scheme.
— Chuck Fleischmann (@RepChuck) June 30, 2023
Calling the current administration’s loan relief proposal an “unconstitutional scheme,” U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) noted, “President Biden never had the authority to force the vast majority of Americans, who either didn’t attend college or already paid off their debt, to pay for the student loans that other people took out.”
I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to block President Biden’s $400 billion student loan forgiveness plan.
87% of Americans without student loans should not be forced to pay for the 13% who do.— Rep. David Kustoff (@RepDavidKustoff) June 30, 2023
U.S. Congressman David Kustoff (R-TN-08) also applauded the Court’s decision, stating, “87% of Americans without student loans should not be forced to pay for the 13% who do.”
🚨BREAKING: Biden’s student loan bailout has been struck down by the Supreme Court.
This means hardworking Americans will NOT be forced to bear the burden of other people’s debt after all. 👏
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) June 30, 2023
U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) noted that the Court’s decision means that “hard working Americans will NOT be forced to bear the burden of other people’s debt after all.
This is a major victory for Constitutional government. The executive branch has no right to usurp congressional authority, especially when it will cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) June 30, 2023
U.S. Congressman Mark Green (R-TN-07) stated that the Court’s decision is a “major victory for Constitutional government,” adding, “The executive branch has no right to usurp congressional authority, especially when it will cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.”
Today’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court is another example of executive overreach by President Biden and his administration.
Bailing out a select few well-educated, well-off individuals on the backs of hardworking, blue-collar workers is just plain wrong. pic.twitter.com/wvCWJaAZrK
— Congressman John Rose (@RepJohnRose) June 30, 2023
U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-06) added, “Bailing out a select few well-educated well-off individuals on the backs of hard working blue-collar workers is just plain wrong.”
I've heard from constituents who can't afford to buy homes, start families or buy basic necessities because of crushing #StudentDebt. That's why I supported @POTUS's #StudentLoanForgiveness plan & called on him to take this action. Today, Trump's #SupremeCourt took it away. https://t.co/FX6pe664kw
— Steve Cohen (@RepCohen) June 30, 2023
U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Tennessee’s sole Democrat federal Representative, condemned “Trump’s Supreme Court” for its decision.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Marsha Blackburn” by Sen. Marsha Blackburn. Photo “Bill Hagerty” by Senator Bill Hagerty. Photo “John Rose” by Congressman John Rose. Photo “Mark Green” by Congressman Mark Green. Photo “David Kustoff” by Congressman David Kustoff. Photo “Chuck Fleischmann” by Congressman Chuck Fleischmann. Background Photo “U.S. Capitol” by Martin Falbisoner. CC BY-SA 3.0.
The whole ploy was a means by which to buy votes in the 2022 election. And it worked. Now Biden will come up with another such scheme to buy votes in 2024. The guy lies every time he opens his mouth.
Another bad idea attempted to be forced down America’s throat by that clown in the white house. Thank you SCOTUS! I demand the government forgive my mortgage. In fact, everything should be free. I should be able to just go into a store and take what I want. Oh, that’s right….that is now legal on the Left Coast.
The Supreme Court decision was absolutely correct. It was only offered by the vote pandering politicos. The core reason for the student loan problem dates back to Barry Obama inserting government into what was administered by banking professionals. Loans, high risk ones at that, were given to many that took meaningless classes or either quit school. Lost on these recipients today is that they signed a promissory meaning it had to be repaid. Claiming the school charged too much for admission, that they were over sold on benefit is a baseless argument. The student could have shopped for a better school, enrolled in a program that in graduation positions the graduate in solid financial standing. The claim by goofy main stream media is that the decision will aid in the re-election of the cognitively impaired Biden is laughable, MORE THAN 70% of Americans surveyed opposed having to pay for the loans students accrued. There is no such thing as student loan forgiveness, the debt is simply transferred to the tax paying public.