Senate passes bill to block Biden's student loan forgiveness program

Both the Senate and the House have now passed a bill to block President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program, which promises to cancel up to $20,000 of debt for millions of borrowers but has been held up by courts.

The bill now goes to Biden's desk for his signature, but the president has pledged to veto the legislation.

Some moderate Democrats joined Republicans in voting for the bill. The Senate passed the bill Thursday and the House passed the legislation last week.

Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana voted for the bill, as well as Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent. The resolution did not pass with a veto-proof majority.

Last week, Maine Rep. Jared Golden and Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, both Democrats, also voted for the bill in the House.

Meanwhile, borrowers are still awaiting a Supreme Court decision, which will determine whether the student loan forgiveness program can take effect. The justices are expected to rule in late June or early July.

The White House has argued that the proposal to cancel some student debt will help protect borrowers from defaulting when student loan payments resume later this year after a yearslong pandemic-related pause.