Statement from AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler on the Supreme Court’s decision in Biden v. Nebraska:
This decision is unconscionable. Student loan debt, driven by the skyrocketing cost of college that has nearly tripled over the past four decades, is crushing workers under mountains of loans and financial obligations. Yet the Supreme Court’s conservative majority—including Justice Samuel Alito, who was just caught red-handed accepting free rides on a private jet from a hedge-fund billionaire—refuses to uphold the Biden administration’s legal authority to provide relief for millions of people.
Study after study has made it clear: Student debt is stopping our economy and the workers who power it from reaching its full potential. It is preventing families from saving, investing, buying a home and reaching the middle class. It is discouraging young people from gaining the skills they need. It is hurting all of us.
Despite this opinion, the future of working people does not belong in the hands of these six justices alone. America’s unions urge the Biden administration to explore every possible pathway for student loan forgiveness so that we can secure our collective financial future. No matter the obstacle, our movement will keep pushing to expand access to educational opportunities including life-changing union apprenticeships and jobs, and ensure that all workers are put on a sustainable path to the middle class.
Contact: Danielle Noel, 202-637-5018