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The Shaky Challenge Against Student Debt Relief

The long-simmering argument over student debt flared up last August when Biden unveiled his student debt relief plan. He promised to reduce federal student debt by $10,000 for borrowers earning up to $125,000 annually, and $20,000 for recipients of Pell Grants. But ever since, the president’s plan has been battered. Numerous lawsuits have been filed against the Biden administration, and over the past few days, both the House of Representatives and the Senate have passed a resolution to block the plan. However, one of the toughest challenges to the plan has mostly evaded the media’s glare. Biden v. Nebraska was first filed last September in the Eastern Missouri U.S. District Court by six states: Nebraska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and South Carolina. While five of the states’ cases have been struck down, Missouri remains. Eleni Schirmer is a writer, postdoc at Concordia University’s Social Justice Centre, and organizer with The Debt Collective. She recently co-authored a piece at the New York Times, "The Case Against Student Debt Relief Barely Even Pretends to Make Sense." This week, Schirmer speaks with Brooke about the research she and her team did to debunk the lawsuit's shaky claims, and the consequences of inadequate fact-checking at the Supreme Court.see more
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California's Budget Battle

Michael Krasny
at 9:00 AM
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 (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

This year's state budget morass is coming down to one main issue: welfare benefits. Governor Jerry Brown is proposing $880 million in cuts to welfare while Democratic legislators say that will hurt those who need help the most. One day before the constitutional deadline to pass the budget, we discuss the budget negotiations and proposed cuts with legislators and state Capitol watchers.

Guests:

Dan Walters, political columnist for The Sacramento Bee

Darrell Steinberg, state senator (D-Sacramento), president pro-tempore of the California State Senate and member of the Big 5 leadership group on the budget

Marisa Lagos, political reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle

Jim Nielsen, California state assemblyman (R-Gerber) and vice chair of the Assembly Budget Committee

Fred Silva, fiscal policy adviser for California Forward, a non-partisan non-profit interested in governance and fiscal reform

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