Show-Me State Times

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has taken a stand against the Biden Administration’s latest student loan plan by leading a seven-state coalition in filing a lawsuit. Attorney General Bailey criticized the plan, known as the “SAVE” Plan, stating, "With the stroke of his pen, Joe Biden is attempting to saddle working Missourians with a half trillion dollars in college debt." He emphasized the constitutional limitations on the President's power to cancel student loan debt without Congress's approval.

Bailey expressed his determination to challenge the administration's actions, saying, “The President does not get to thwart the Constitution when it suits his political agenda. I’m filing suit to halt his brazen attempt to curry favor with some citizens by forcing others to shoulder their debts. The Constitution will continue to mean something as long as I’m Attorney General.”

The lawsuit filed by the States highlights previous judicial decisions, with the States asserting, “Just last year, the Supreme Court struck down an attempt by the President to force teachers, truckers, and farmers to pay for the student loan debt of other Americans—to the enormous tune of $430 billion." The States point out a concerning pattern of the President attempting to implement costly policies without congressional approval, stating, “This latest attempt to sidestep the Constitution is only the most recent instance in a long but troubling pattern of the President relying on innocuous language from decades-old statutes to impose drastic, costly policy changes on the American people without their consent.”

Attorney General Bailey's previous legal challenge against the Biden Administration's student loan plan was successful, with the United States Supreme Court ruling in favor of the States. The Court deemed Biden's repayment plan unconstitutional due to its significant impact on the federal budget without explicit congressional authorization. The Court acknowledged Missouri’s standing to challenge the student loan plan, recognizing Missouri’s student loan servicing company, MOHELA, as an arm of the state government.

Joining Attorney General Bailey in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, Ohio, and Oklahoma. The legal action is a response to what the coalition perceives as the President's repeated attempts to unilaterally impose controversial policies without proper congressional approval.