IFPTE Thanks Biden Admin. for Recommitting to Student Debt Relief, Voices Disapproval of Supreme Court Decisions Against Student Debt Relief, Affirmative Action, and Anti-Discrimination Protections
The union representing professional employees and skilled workers commented on the Supreme Court’s ill-considered and ideologically driven decisions “threaten the interests of working people”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC – The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), a labor union representing upwards of 90,000 working professionals in diverse occupations across the federal government, state and local governments, the private sector, and the nonprofit sector, applauded the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement that Education Secretary Cardona is seeking rulemaking under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide student debt relief. The Administration and the Department of Education made this announcement after the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the limited student debt relief that President Biden announced last August. In the Supreme Court decision, Biden v. Nebraska, a 6 to 3 majority of Justices sided against the Administration’s debt relief plan. The Biden-Harris debt relief allowed borrowers earning under $125,000 (or $250,000 for married couples) to receive up to $10,000 in debt relief or up to $20,000 in relief for Pell Grant recipients. IFPTE leadership also commented on two other recent decisions that struck down affirmative action in college admissions and state anti-discrimination laws.
IFPTE President Matthew Biggs and IFPTE Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson commented:
“On the final day of the current Supreme Court term, a 6-3 majority issued a decision along party lines that denies 40 million student loan borrowers the chance to cancel some or all of their student debt under the Biden Administration’s student debt relief plan. We applaud President Biden and Education Secretary Cardona for responding to the Supreme Court’s ill-considered decision by seeking a different path to debt relief. The President is committed to supporting working families, rebuilding pathways to the middle class, and providing a fair solution to people who pursued higher education to do rewarding work, learned skills and knowledge to enhance their professional development, or sought a career transition in the middle of their working lives.
We know very well that higher education affordability and college debt significantly impact IFPTE members, many of whom work in jobs that require college degrees and advanced degrees. Working families who are burdened with student debt are more likely to delay life, financial, and career decisions. The broad economic and social costs of student debt reduce consumer spending, hamper retirement savings, and worsen racial and economic inequality.
There is a huge economic benefit and social value to education and, at a time when the federal government is investing in advanced industries, infrastructure, and a clean energy transition, our country’s policies need to be aligned to support workers and students and good career pathways. We also know that relieving some of the burdensome student debt now will more than pay for itself down the road with increased tax revenue and productivity gains gleaned from those who benefit from the relief. And while student debt relief is necessary, more needs to be done to address college affordability and out-of-control tuition, and we continue to advocate for comprehensive policies and remedies so that the cost of education is not a deterrent to seeking higher education.
The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the President’s student debt relief plan came two days after the decision to ban affirmative action policies in college admissions. These two decisions fundamentally undermine the principle of providing equal opportunity and giving all Americans a fair chance to pursue education and prosperity. Regarding the affirmative action decision, the Supreme Court has further opened the door to college admissions practices that favor nepotism while denying students of color a fair shot. We share Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor’s dissenting opinions that highlight Chief Justice John Roberts’ arbitrary double standard that our nation’s military academies can apply affirmative action policies, but colleges and universities cannot. We firmly believe that the rationale that Chief Justice Roberts points to in a footnote – that our military should reflect the diversity of our nation for the good of our democracy and society – applies fully to education institutions and all institutions of our democratic society. We are also troubled by the Supreme Court striking down a state antidiscrimination law in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, a decision that was ideologically driven rather than based on solid facts. It is clear to us that this Supreme Court’s conservative majority is only interested in driving their partisan agenda, threatening the interests of working people.”
Across the United States and Canada, IFPTE represents 90,000 highly skilled workers in the federal, public, and private sectors. IFPTE is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO and the Canadian Labour Congress.
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