The King, Student-Loan Forgiveness, and the Supreme Court

The Justices hear an historic case on the limits of presidential power.

Wonder Land: Democrats thought a socialist couldn’t win the presidency in 2020. Well, they’ve got one now for 2024. Images: AFP/Getty Images Composite: Mark Kelly

The Supreme Court hears one of the most consequential separation-of-powers cases in American history on Tuesday when it considers President Biden’s unilateral student loan write-off. The question is nothing less than whether the President can steal Congress’s power of the purse and act like a King.

Mr. Biden’s claim of unilateral power to cancel $400 billion in debt is truly breathtaking, and he knew it. A month before taking office, Mr. Biden said it was “pretty questionable,” whether he had the power to cancel student debt. Then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted in July 2021 that “it would take an act of Congress, not an executive order, to cancel student loan debt.” Now the Administration is arguing otherwise in court.

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