Kansas launches challenge to federal student loan forgiveness. Missouri could be next

But the Supreme Court’s ruling hinged on a Missouri-created student loan agency, called MOHELA. The attorneys argued that the program, which helps Missouri support scholarships, would be harmed if Biden’s larger student loan plan went through. Kansas does not have its own student loan agency.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, said in a statement Thursday that Missouri would be filing a separate lawsuit to challenge the plan in the coming days.

“Between our two coalitions of states, we will get this matter in front of a judge even more quickly to deliver a win for the American people,” he said. “The Supreme Court sided with Missouri on this matter the first time. I look forward to bringing home yet another win for the Constitution and the rule of law.”

Biden’s plan earned broad support from Democrats across the country who argued people are overburdened by student loan debt.

According to the administration more than 1,200 Kansans are eligible for $9.9 million in relief under one of the programs, which cancels debt for people who borrowed less than $12,000. More than 2,700 Missourians would be eligible for $22.4 million in relief.

“President Biden’s student debt cancellation programs are one of the many ways in which his administration is working to lower costs for middle-class families, and whether you are a public servant or on an income-driven repayment plan, I strongly encourage Missourians with student loans to learn more about these programs and see if they’re eligible for relief,” U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, a Democrat, said at the time.

But Republicans have argued it is unfair to Americans who paid their way through school or have already paid off their loans.

“As a parent scraping to set aside money for my own girls to go to college and watching them work their way through college or work to save money for college, I see this unfairness directly,” Kobach said Thursday. “And I think most Americans do as well, regardless of party.”

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