2023年5月31日，星期三，在前往科罗拉多州之前，乔·拜登总统在华盛顿白宫南草坪与记者交谈。(美联社图片/苏珊·沃尔什)
美联社
华盛顿-周四，参议院通过了一项共和党措施，推翻了总统乔·拜登的学生贷款取消计划，现在正等待预期的否决。
投票结果是52票对46票，得到了西弗吉尼亚州民主党参议员乔·曼钦、蒙大拿州参议员乔恩·特斯以及亚利桑那州参议员克里斯滕·西内马(Kyrsten Sinema)的支持。该决议上周由共和党控制的众议院以218票对203票通过。
拜登承诺继续履行承诺，取消4300万人高达2万美元的联邦学生贷款。该立法增加了共和党对该计划的批评，该计划在11月因保守派对手的诉讼而被叫停。
最高法院在2月份听取了对拜登举措的质疑，保守派多数似乎准备推翻该计划。预计将在未来几周内做出决定。
“总统的学生贷款计划没有‘免除’债务，他们只是将负担从那些选择贷款的人身上转移到那些从未上过大学或已经履行承诺还清贷款的人身上，”参议院推动的主要发起人路易斯安那州参议员比尔·卡西迪说。
该立法旨在撤销拜登的取消计划，并限制教育部在未来取消学生贷款的能力。这将取消拜登最近一次延长暂停付款的决定，该决定于疫情早些时候开始实施。它将追溯性地增加几个月的学生贷款利息，这是拜登的延期所免除的。
这也将使借款人通过公共服务贷款豁免计划取消贷款的几个月进展倒退。那些最近通过该计划取消债务的人将恢复贷款。
共和党的挑战援引了国会审议法案，该法案允许国会撤销最近颁布的行政部门条例。通过一项决议需要两院的简单多数，但推翻总统的否决需要众议院和参议院的三分之二多数，预计共和党人不会获得足够的支持来做到这一点。
“如果共和党人得到他们的方式，通过这项法案成为法律，全国人民将有救济，他们指望从他们手中夺走，”参议员帕蒂默里说。
Senate passes GOP bill overturning student loan cancellation, teeing it up for Biden veto
WASHINGTON --A Republican measure overturning President Joe Biden's student loan cancellation plan passed the Senate on Thursday and now awaits an expected veto.
The vote was 52-46, with support from Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana as well as Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent. The resolution was approved last week by the GOP-controlled House by a 218-203 vote.
Biden has pledged to keep in place his commitment to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loans for 43 million people. The legislation adds to Republican criticism of the plan, which was halted in November in response to lawsuits from conservative opponents.
The Supreme Court heard arguments in February in a challenge to Biden's move, with the conservative majority seemingly ready to sink the plan. A decision is expected in the coming weeks.
“The president’s student loan schemes do not ‘forgive’ debt, they just shift the burden from those who chose to take out loans onto those who never went to college or already fulfilled their commitment to pay off their loans,” said Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, lead sponsor of the Senate push.
The legislation aims to revoke Biden’s cancellation plan and curtail the Education Department’s ability to cancel student loans in the future. It would rescind Biden’s latest extension of a payment pause that began early in the pandemic. It would retroactively add several months of student loan interest that was waived by Biden’s extension.
It would also roll back months of progress borrowers made toward loan cancellation through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Those who recently had their debt canceled through the program would have their loans reinstated.
The GOP challenge invoked the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to undo recently enacted executive branch regulations. Passing a resolution requires a simple majority in both chambers, but overriding a presidential veto requires two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate, and Republicans aren't expected to have enough support to do that.
"If Republicans were to get their way and pass this bill into law, people across the country would have relief they are counting on snatched away from them,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
