President Joe Biden's federal student debt forgiveness plan faces another setback as a federal judge extended the temporary restraining order against it Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Randal Hall of the Southern District of Georgia, who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, said Biden's plan would remain blocked for an additional 14 days.
The Biden administration was expected to publish its final rule on a revised student loan forgiveness plan next month. The plan could affect more than 25 million borrowers.
Hall's decision is in response to a lawsuit brought by seven GOP-led states claiming that the Education Department's debt cancellation relief is illegal, CNBC reported.
Hall said the states — Florida, North Dakota, Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Missouri and Arkansas — had made a convincing case. The judge first issued a temporary restraining order on Sept. 5 shortly after the lawsuit was filed.
The administration's new affordable repayment plan, known as SAVE, has also been tied up in legal battles. Those enrolled in the plan, around 8 million people, do not have to make payments at this time.
