FORT WORTH, Texas — A federal judge in Texas has blocked President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan.
According to The Associated Press, District Court Judge Mark Pittman said the program usurped Congress’ power to make laws.
“In this country, we are not ruled by an all-powerful executive with a pen and a phone. Instead, we are ruled by a Constitution that provides for three distinct and independent branches of government,” Pittman wrote.
The student-loan forgiveness plan is already on hold after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit issued a stay in October.
Pittman, whom former President Donald Trump appointed, wrote a 26-page ruling backed by the Job Creators Network Foundation on behalf of two borrowers, according to Reuters.
Biden’s plan calls for $10,000 in federal student debt cancellation for those with incomes below $125,000 a year or households that make less than $250,000 a year. Those who received federal Pell Grants to attend college are eligible for an additional $10,000. The AP reported that the plan makes 20 million eligible to get their federal student debt erased entirely.
The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.