The Senate has voted 52-46 to approve a Republican-led proposal to block President Biden’s student-debt forgiveness plan

The Senate has voted 52-46 to approve a Republican-led proposal to block President Biden’s student-debt forgiveness plan.

The deal effectively requires the Biden administration to resume collecting monthly payments and charging interest for roughly 40 million Americans for the first time since they were paused in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.

The White House has made it clear a veto is coming, and neither chamber can provide the two-thirds vote to override.

In a statement, Manchin said the nation “simply cannot afford to add another $400 billion to the national debt.”

“There are already more than 50 existing student loan repayment and forgiveness programs aimed at attracting individuals to vital service jobs, such as teachers, health care workers, and public servants. This Biden proposal undermines these programs and forces hard-working taxpayers who already paid off their loans or did not got to college to shoulder the cost,” he said.