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Foxx, Duncan Lead Amicus Brief on Biden’s Student Loan Scheme

Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Representative Jeff Duncan (R-SC) led 126 House Republicans in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States in the upcoming case considering the Biden administration’s student loan bailout, which exploits legislation drafted in the wake of September 11, 2001, meant to assist service members and veterans.

Chairwoman Foxx said: “The Biden administration’s student loan bailout is a political gambit engineered by special interest groups; abusing the HEROES Act for such a ploy is shameful. Moreover, this administration is bypassing Congress, which is elected by the American people to protect their interests. Congress is the only body with the authority to enact sweeping and fundamental changes of this nature, and it is ludicrous for President Biden to assume he can simply bypass the will of the American people.”

Representative Duncan said: “The Biden Administration does not have the authority to unilaterally ‘forgive’ student loan debt across the board, and attempting to do so is nothing more than a political maneuver. This exploits the original intention of the HEROES Act of 2003, oversteps the authority of Congress, undermines the will of the American people, and would send the country further into a debt spiral. The Court should invalidate the Secretary of Education’s sweeping student loan forgiveness program since it trespasses on Congressional authority and violates the separation of powers.”

Jennifer Mascott, Assistant Professor and Co-Executive Director of The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State at the Antonin Scalia Law School said: "The Gray Center's Separation of Powers Clinic was pleased with the opportunity for Scalia Law School students and Clinic Director Trent McCotter to represent Members of Congress in this case addressing core questions of statutory interpretation and the exercise of governmental power."

Other Members signing onto the brief include: Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Chief Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler, Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, Policy Committee Chair Gary Palmer, Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson, Conference Secretary Lisa McClain, Joe Wilson, Glenn Thompson, Tim Walberg, Glenn Grothman, Rick W. Allen, James Comer, Jim Banks, Lloyd Smucker, Burgess Owens, Bob Good, Mary E. Miller, Michelle Steel, Ron Estes, Julia Letlow, Kevin Kiley, Aaron Bean, Eric Burlison, Nathaniel Moran, John James, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Brandon Williams, Erin Houchin, Mike Rogers, Ann Wagner, Randy K. Weber, Jake Ellzey, Alexander X. Mooney, Austin Scott, Jodey C. Arrington, Ashley Hinson, William R. Timmons IV, Ralph Norman, Vern Buchanan, Warren Davidson, Mike Flood, Chuck Edwards, John R. Moolenaar, Mike Bost, Rudy Yakym III, Harriet M. Hageman, John H. Rutherford, Mike Kelly, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D., Ronny Jackson, August Pfluger, Morgan Luttrell, Richard McCormick M.D., M.B.A., Andy Biggs, Claudia Tenney, Jason Smith, Andrew S. Clyde, Drew A. Ferguson IV, Roger Williams, Michael V. Lawler, Kevin Hern, Ken Calvert, Michelle Fischbach, Andy Barr, Lauren Boebert, Max L. Miller, Don Bacon, Earl L. "Buddy" Carter, Michael Waltz, Dan Bishop, Gregory F. Murphy M.D., Brad Finstad, Larry Bucshon, M.D., Mario Diaz-Balart, Brian Babin, D.D.S., Mike Ezell, Tom McClintock, Dan Meuser, Eric A. "Rick" Crawford, Steve Womack, Barry Moore, Pete Stauber, Brett Guthrie, Michael Guest, John Rose, Brad R. Wenstrup, Scott Perry, Kat Cammack, Greg Pence, Troy E. Nehls, Mike Garcia, French J. Hill, Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S., Robert B. Aderholt, Scott DesJarlais, Dan Crenshaw, Mark Alford, Beth Van Duyne, Tim Burchett, Bruce Westerman, Gus M. Bilirakis, Barry Loudermilk, Nick LaLota, Ben Cline, Andrew Ogles, Dale W. Strong, Jerry L. Carl, Garret Graves, Robert J. Wittman, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Michael Burgess, M.D., Jay Obernolte, Jake LaTurner, Randy Feenstra, Carlos Antonio Gimenez, Robert E. Latta, Diana Harshbarger, Byron Donalds, Anthony D'Esposito, Bill Posey, Nicholas A. Langworthy, Daniel Webster, Lance Gooden, Jim Jordan, and Mark E. Green.

Full text of the brief is available here.

Background: House Republicans repeatedly expressed concerns about the authority of the Secretary of Education and the Biden administration to enact widespread student loan debt cancelations. The Biden administration is exploiting language in the 2003 HEROES Act to waive the student loans of millions of Americans who do not qualify.

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