Joe Biden promised during his 2020 presidential campaign to address student debt. However, his initial attempt to do so was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Following that setback, the Biden administration quickly unveiled its "Plan B" -- the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan. This plan cuts undergraduate student loans in half, reduces many borrowers' monthly payments to zero, and provides for early loan forgiveness for some borrowers.
But the president's second effort has already run into opposition. Is Biden's SAVE plan in trouble? Here are three things to know about the GOP's most recent efforts to overturn the president's student loan repayment plan.

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1. What is the GOP doing to derail the SAVE plan?
On Sept. 5, 2023, U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Cornyn (R-Tex.), and 14 of their GOP colleagues introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn President Biden's SAVE plan. The CRA was passed in 1996 to give Congress a streamlined way to overturn rules implemented by federal agencies.
Representatives Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) also introduced a companion CRA resolution to the U.S. House of Representatives the same day. The text of the resolution was straightforward, stating that the Senate and House disapprove of the student loan repayment rules submitted by the Department of Education and that the rules "shall have no force or effect."
2. Why do Republicans oppose the SAVE plan?
One chief criticism the GOP has about the SAVE plan is its cost of up to $559 billion. Sen. Thune called the SAVE Plan a "misguided and fiscally irresponsible student loan bailout." Foxx and McClain's press release called the plan "the most expensive regulation in history."
Republicans also argued that the president's student loan plan unfairly shifts the financial burden from individuals who borrowed to go to college to those who didn't attend college, paid their own way through college, or have already paid off their student loans. Sen. Cassidy said, "Our resolution protects the 87 percent of Americans who don't have student debt and will be forced to shoulder the burden of the President's irresponsible and unfair policy."
GOP members of Congress also believe that the SAVE plan provides the wrong incentives to both students and schools. The press release from Senators Cassidy, Thune, and Cornyn argued that the president's plan encourages students to take on more debt. Representatives Foxx and McClain maintained that it could also incentivize schools to raise tuition.
The Biden administration has a much different take. It thinks that the current student loan system is "broken." The SAVE plan was launched to help fix this system by making college more affordable and not leaving "borrowers stranded with debt they cannot afford."
3. Will the effort to overturn the SAVE plan succeed?
It's too soon to know whether or not the CRA resolutions introduced by GOP senators and representatives will pass in their respective legislative chambers. However, history could provide a clue about what might happen.
Earlier this year, the House and the Senate passed legislation to block Biden's student debt forgiveness plan. Two Democrats joined House GOP members to pass the bill. Two Democratic senators and one independent voted with Republican senators in favor of the legislation, as well. But President Biden vetoed the legislation, and there weren't enough votes in either the House or the Senate to override his veto.
Ultimately, the fate of the SAVE plan could depend on federal court decisions, rather than the president or Congress. And student debt could again be an issue in next year's elections.