ASHLAND — More than 2,000 Ashland residents applied for President Joe Biden’s now-suspended student debt relief program that is currently being debated at the Supreme Court, according to recently published data from Politico.
A total of 2,027 residents applied for relief in the 44805 zip code area, which includes the city of Ashland and stretches from Bailey Lakes down to Mifflin.
Surrounding zip codes in the county also had a few hundred applications, with the most, 334, coming from the 44842 area code that includes Loudonville.
Under the program, applicants could receive up to $10,000 in student debt relief if their income was less than $125,000 or $250,000 for families, while Pell grant recipients could receive up to $20,000.
After the program was announced in August, conservative groups and Republican-led states sued the administration, arguing the president had overstepped his executive authority.
Meanwhile, supporters of the program, like President Biden himself and some Democrats in Congress, have argued it is necessary to alleviate the economic woes of millions of Americans and that Republican states have no legal ground to sue.
The lawsuits led to a nationwide injunction on the program in November, effectively blocking the program until the lawsuits make their way to the Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments on the program and multiple conservative justices, who hold the majority on the high court, appeared skeptical of the program.
When the debt relief program was first announced in August, students and parents at Ashland University had mixed feelings about it.
“I think it’s sad that people who work so hard to pay off their loans don’t get any money to help when they paid off their loans,” AU senior Riley Thomas said.
Another student, sophomore Emma Codding, had a different view on the program.
“I mean, the university takes enough of our money. I think it’ll certainly help,” she said.
