About 9 million people who applied for the presidency Joe Bidenstudent loan cancellation plan would have received emails falsely stating that their debt relief requests had been approved.
The emails, sent last month by the Department for Education, contained an incorrect subject line telling people their requests for debt relief had been granted. In fact, decisions on the applications have been frozen while the administration awaits the outcome of legal challenges. The rest of the email was accurate.
The Department for Education apologized for the error in a new email on Tuesday reviewed by CNN. He blamed a “provider error”.
Biden’s Planwhich would waive up to $10,000 per applicant, up to $125,000 and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, remains blocked by the courts, forcing the administration to stop accepting further requests.
“We have received your application but are not authorized to review your eligibility due to ongoing litigation,” the department said in an email this week to 9 million applicants. “We will retain your application information and review your eligibility if and when we prevail in court.”
About 26 million people applied for student debt forgiveness before the plan was suspended. Approximately 16 million applications have been approved, depending on the department. However, no redress has been granted amid legal challenges.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two separate cases challenging Biden’s plan. Judges are due to hear arguments this winter in a case brought by six Republican-led states challenging Biden’s executive branch to grant debt relief.
On Monday, judges agreed to hear a second case involving two student borrowers who did not meet the requirements of Biden’s plan, according to CNN.
Last month, Biden extended the pause on student loan repayments until June 30, allowing time for the Supreme Court to rule on the case brought by the GOP states. It is unknown if the second case would affect this timeline.