What 2024 Republicans are saying about the Supreme Court’s student debt ruling

The Supreme Court handed conservatives a key victory this week when the high court struck down President Biden’s plan that would have wiped out billions of dollars in debt for student borrowers.

Under the president’s student debt forgiveness plan, Pell Grant recipients would have seen up to $20,000 in loans cancelled while borrowers with non-Pell Grant loans could see up to $10,000 in loans eliminated. Borrowers would only be eligible if they made less than $125,000 individually or $250,000 for married couples. 

The news was largely applauded by the 2024 GOP presidential candidates, though both former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have yet to weigh in.

Here’s a look at what the contenders have said about the recent Supreme Court decision so far.

Mike Pence

Former Vice President Pence said he was “pleased” with the Supreme Court’s decision blocking Biden’s student debt plan, again touting the role he played during the Trump administration with three of the Supreme Court justices who were tapped by the former president and made up part of the majority opinion in the case.

“Joe Biden’s massive trillion-dollar student loan bailout subsidizes the education of elites on the backs of hardworking Americans, and it was an egregious violation of the Constitution for him to attempt to do so unilaterally with the stroke of the executive pen,” Pence said in a statement.

“I am pleased that the Court struck down the Radical Left’s effort to use the money of taxpayers who played by the rules and repaid their debts in order to cancel the debt of bankers and lawyers in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.,” he continued. “I am honored to have played a role in appointing three of the Justices that ensured today’s welcomed decision, and as President I will continue to appoint judges who will strictly apply the law and enforce our Constitution’s separation of powers.”

Nikki Haley

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement on Friday that the Supreme Court was “right” in blocking Biden’s student debt plan.

“A president cannot just wave his hand and eliminate loans for students he favors, while leaving out all those who worked hard to pay back their loans or made other career choices. The Supreme Court was right to throw out Joe Biden’s power grab,” Haley said.

Tim Scott

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) launched a new ad on Friday following the Supreme Court’s decision, saying that he wanted to offer support to vocational and apprenticeship training and argued Americans don’t need to go to college as the only way to be successful.

“Joe Biden wants you to pay off the student loans of lawyers and professors. I want to strengthen vocational education and apprenticeships. We need more welders, carpenters and electricians. These are the jobs that built America, and these are the jobs liberal elites can’t ship to China,” Scott said in the 30-second ad.

“College isn’t the only path to the American dream, and it’s time for a president who values hard work and the people who do it,” he added.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy released a statement on Friday in favor of the Supreme Court’s decision.

“We have a bad habit in America of paying people to do the exact opposite of what we want them to do: pay people more money to stay at home than to work, more money to be a single mother than married, more money for those who fail to repay loans than those who do. As a matter of policy, this decision helps reverse that trend,” Ramaswamy said.

“As a matter of law, this case builds upon West Virginia vs. EPA (2022) in setting a powerful precedent suggesting that most regulations promulgated by the Administrative State are unlawful,” he continued. “I will lead the Executive Branch accordingly, rescinding all federal regulations that fail the Supreme Court’s new standard. This will unleash the American economy and restore the integrity of our 3-branch Constitutional Republic over the unconstitutional behavior of the Fourth Branch.”