Biden Administration Urges Top Court to Back Student-Debt Relief

President Joe Biden’s administration urged the US Supreme Court to uphold his embattled student-debt relief plan, defending a far-reaching program that would affect more than 40 million borrowers at a cost of potentially $400 billion.

In court papers filed Wednesday, the administration contended the Education Department secretary has broad power to slash student debt given that millions of people are still facing financial hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The secretary responded to the devastating economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic by granting targeted relief to borrowers at higher risk of delinquency and default due to the pandemic,” argued …