President Joe Biden, speaking at Delaware State University on Friday, celebrated the "successful launch" of his student loan forgiveness program this week as his administration rolled out an official application for borrowers and federal courts rejected two GOP legal challenges.
Biden's visit to Delaware State -- a Historically Black College and University where over 75% of students received a Pell Grant and therefore are eligible to get the highest amount of debt relief among some 40 million Americans affected -- comes a day after Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett rejected a request to block the program brought by a conservative Wisconsin taxpayers group. Also on Thursday, a federal district court judge struck down a separate lawsuit challenging the measure, brought by six Republican-governed states.
With less than two weeks until the midterm elections, Biden highlighted how he said the debt relief will have a life-changing impact on middle-class Americans while lambasting his GOP opponents who have claimed his policy was unfair to taxpayers and those who didn't attend college.
"We're hearing from people all over the country, of over 10,000 students, that have written me letters so far, literally 10,000 so far. And it's about as easy to apply as signing up while hanging out with their friends or at home and watching a movie," Biden said. "The vast majority are applying on their phones and it's easy as just simply it's easy. Now in less than a week just close to 22 million people have already given us the information."
MORE: Biden officially launches student loan forgiveness application"[Republicans] even fought this in the courts. But just yesterday, State Court and the Supreme Court said no, we're on Biden's side."
On Thursday, a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Missouri last month by state attorneys general from Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska and South Carolina, as well as legal representatives from Iowa, was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey who wrote "the Court lacks jurisdiction to hear this case." Barrett on Thursday dismissed the emergency appeal from a Wisconsin-based Brown County Taxpayers Association without explanation.
Both decisions were made ahead of this Sunday, which is the earliest the Department of Education has said in court filings it would begin discharging loans.
The debt forgiveness plan is a much-anticipated move to accomplish Biden's August announcement that individuals making less that $125,00 can apply for up to $10,000 of debt relief, or as much as $20,000 for eligible borrowers who were also Pell Grant recipients.
It was formally launched with the rollout of relief applications on Monday, a campaign promise of the former president's. His speech on Friday, just 18 days before a midterm election that could strip Democrats of their majority in Congress, highlighted his ability to make good on his vow.