Friday’s Supreme Court decision to uphold President Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student debt for millions of borrowers was a blow — but not a surprise — to the likes of Claude Reed, who had hoped to be relieved of a debt who followed him. him for decades.
Mr. Reed, who is 74, took out $3,300 in loans in the early 1970s to fund his studies at the University of Wisconsin. He spent several decades working as a journalist, musician, and fundraiser for non-profit organizations, making his living from often low-income jobs. He paid $9,000 on his loans over the years, but interest and fees kept his balance rising, leaving him unable to pay off his debt. Now, half a century into college, he owes $4,600 — more than he originally borrowed.
Mr. Reed has had his tax refunds seized to pay the debt, sometimes leaving him so tied up that he skipped meals and borrowed money from friends. Mr. Biden’s plan would have eliminated his remaining debt. Now he faces the prospect of once again having money deducted from his only income stream, Social Security benefits.
Mr. Reed, who is black, sees student debt relief as a matter of racial justice — a trap that President Biden has also often invoked. Black students are more likely to need to borrow money for college, to borrow more and to carry debt longer than their white classmates.
“This is like football. Instead of starting at the 20-yard line, I’m in the back of the other end zone, you know? said Mr. Reed, who lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
The court’s decision also dismayed Heather Smith, 34, a recent veterinarian graduate in New Orleans who earns a low, five-figure salary as she completes her residency. She has a six-figure debt bill to pay off. Mr. Biden’s plan would have eliminated $7,500 in debt from her undergraduate education.
“Every little bit helps,” Dr. Smith said.
Christopher McKinnon continued to pay his $728 a month student debt during the pandemic hiatus — which began in March 2020 under former President Donald J. Trump and was extended by more than three years across two presidential administrations — but he stopped in September, leaving left him with a balance of exactly $10,000.
“I was disappointed at first,” McKinnon, 36, said of Friday’s decision. “But I think the Supreme Court has made it plain and painfully clear that Congress needs to do something about student loan debt.”
Mr. McKinnon, who lives in East Haddam, Conn., and works for regulatory compliance for the utility industry, borrowed $53,000 for his undergraduate and graduate degrees and has since repaid more than $67,000, according to a spreadsheet he keeps to keep track of his debts.
He can afford to restart payments this fall, but that will require cutting his family’s monthly budget. “I’m really worried about the economy,” he said. “With interest rates rising and federal student loan payments resuming, I think it’s going to be a pretty grim holiday season for some companies.”
James Weaver, 43, had also repaid his loan balance to almost exactly the amount he would qualify for: $20,000. (As a former Pell grant recipient, Mr. Weaver was eligible for the maximum debt forgiveness available under Mr. Biden’s plan.)
Mr. Weaver, who lives in Albuquerque, received a master’s degree in entomology in 2020 and worked as a federal biologist. He said he expected the Supreme Court to strike down Mr Biden’s debt cancellation plan.
“I fully understand both sides of the argument,” he said. “You took out the loans, you have to pay them back. The problem, as we all know, is that education has become much more expensive in the last 10, 15 years than in the past.”
Mr Weaver said he has enough income and savings to restart payments. “I am able to pay this back, and I will,” he said. “But I’m probably the atypical scenario. Some people will pay off this debt for the rest of their lives.”
