AUSTIN, Texas — The Supreme Court on Friday shut down President Joe Biden's plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts – and the decision has been drawing strong opinions from across the political spectrum.
An estimated 43 million Americans would have been eligible for President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.
The court's decision is reverberating around the country, including in Austin. Student Daniel Brown said he was looking forward to having more money in his pocket.
"I was looking forward to my loans being forgiven as I have a bachelor's and master's [degree], and I have about $38,000 left for my master's. So it's unfortunate for me," Brown said.
When it comes to student debt relief, Brown said he wishes the country could work together to find solutions. The forgiveness program would have canceled $10,000 in student loan debt for those making less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for borrowers who also received Pell Grants.
"I think, maybe, if we put things in place for younger people who are going to get loans, whereas I feel like I just signed up and clicked buttons and got all this debt and didn't really understand what I was doing," Brown said.
Brown's opinion is a far cry from Bob Sadlowski's.
"When I was this close to bankruptcy, nobody came in and said, 'Bob, you're stressed, you're struggling. We need to have the government bail you out.' No, you suck it up, you put your big boy pants on, you pay back your money and you move on. You struggle through it. Struggling is underrated," Sadlowski said.
Robyn Jurca joined the Navy to help pay off her student loans and sympathizes with those facing the burden.
"I do believe in owning up to your responsibilities, knowing that you're going to be taking on that debt and paying that off. It was different for me because my loans were so small – now I look at the kind of the debt that's being accrued now, and it's gonna be a hard hole to dig out of for a lot of people," Jurca said.
The U.S. Department of Education confirms student loan payments will be due again in October, restarting payments that were frozen since the pandemic began.
More information on student debt relief can be found here.