Biden admin defends stalled student loan plan in Supreme Court brief

(Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department late on Wednesday filed a brief with the Supreme Court defending President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan and arguing that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona had clear authority to provide the loan forgiveness.

Biden announced in August that the U.S. government would forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year, or $250,000 for married couples. Students who received Pell Grants to benefit lower-income college students would have up to $20,000 of their debt canceled under the plan, which has been on hold due to legal challenges.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Andrea Shalal, editing by Dan Whitcomb)