Former Republican Governor criticizes Biden’s student loan bailout as the “largest vote-buying scheme ever.”

Former Governor Slams Biden’s Student Loan Bailout Program

Former New Hampshire Republican Governor Judd Gregg didn’t hold back in his criticism of President Joe Biden’s student loan bailout program. In an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Gregg called it “the biggest vote-buying scheme ever received or undertaken by a presidency.”

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled 6-3 that Biden’s attempt to unilaterally forgive federally subsidized student loans through the HEROES Act was illegal.

Gregg expressed his concerns about the plan, saying, “Forty million people get 20,000 bucks. I’ll vote for you to give me 20,000 bucks. And that’s what it is about. That’s why they’re trying to reform it so they can keep this idea that they’re going to give this huge tax break, this income to all these folks going into the next election.”

He emphasized that while Congress has the right to give away $20,000 per person to 40 million people, it cannot be done from the executive branch. Gregg stated, “This is just power politics trying to buy votes. It’s that simple. It ought to be called out for what it was.”

WATCH:

“It was the biggest vote buying scheme ever undertaken by a presidency. This was an attempt to spend almost $500B and add it to the debt,” says Fmr. Sen. Judd Gregg on President Biden’s student debt relief plan. “They clearly violated Article 1 of the Constitution.” pic.twitter.com/UI24ggm55C

— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) July 3, 2023

Supreme Court Ruling

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the 6-3 majority, stating that the HEROES Act does not grant the Secretary of Education the authority to cancel $430 billion of student loan principal. The Act only allows for the waiver or modification of existing provisions, not a complete rewrite of the statute.

The decision was made along ideological lines, with Chief Justice Roberts being joined by Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barret, Brett Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas.

Unanimous Decision and Lawsuit

The first case, Department of Education v. Brown, was decided unanimously. The justices ruled that the petitioners who were denied debt relief did not have standing to sue the Department of Education. In the second case, Biden v. Nebraska, the court upheld the right of several GOP states involved in the lawsuit to sue the Biden administration, allowing them to present their argument. Chief Justice Roberts firmly stated in the majority opinion, “Six States sued, arguing that the HEROES Act does not authorize the loan cancellation plan. We agree.”

Nathan Gay contributed to this report.

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