More than 43 million borrowers have federal student loan debt, with an average loan balance of at least $37,500. (Getty Images)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansans who thought their student loans were about to be forgiven may need to re-think their plans.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said Thursday that he plans to sue to stop Biden administration student loan forgiveness plans announced the previous week. The administration’s plan is scheduled to provide $5.8 billion in debt relief to 77,700 borrowers who have entered public service.
Griffin made note of the role Arkansas played in ending earlier planned student loan forgiveness plans.
“Arkansas was part of the original coalition that sued the Biden administration over its first unlawful debt-cancellation plan,” Griffin said. “President Biden has already lost on this question once, and he is refusing to follow the law.”
The attorney general added that the Supreme Court was clear in its position on student debt forgiveness.
Griffin’s announcement came on the heels of announcements by the attorneys general of Kansas and Missouri who also plan to sue to stop the plan from going into effect.
“I applaud Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach for leading a lawsuit to protect American taxpayers,” Griffin said. “Arkansas will join with Missouri in filing a similar lawsuit, and I look forward to winning on behalf of Arkansas taxpayers again.”
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said that multiple states filing suits against the plan made it more likely that the case would be brought before judges quicker than if only a single state sued.
