The White House announced on Tuesday that about 813,000 student loan borrowers will receive emails from President Joe Biden congratulating them on their loans being forgiven. This is due to a one-time account adjustment by the Education Department to evaluate which borrowers have met the qualifying payment threshold on their repayment plan.
The emails, which began going out on Tuesday, say "Congratulations — your student loan has been forgiven because of actions my Administration took to make sure you receive the relief you earned and deserve."
The emails also acknowledge the long-standing problems with the student loan program, which have left many borrowers without the relief they were promised. "For too long, the student loan program failed to live up to its commitments — and millions like you never got the relief you were owed because of errors and administrative failures," the email says.
The debt relief comes at a challenging time for student loan borrowers, as federal student loan payments resumed in October after an over three-year pause. Many borrowers have encountered a host of challenges, including inaccurate billing and communication issues with their servicers, due to the unprecedented transition back into repayment.
Despite these challenges, some borrowers have told Insider that the relief they are receiving from the Education Department has been significant. "It's a relief because it's money that I can use for my family expenses, which will make a huge difference for me," George Tucker, a 63-year-old borrower, previously told Insider.
The Education Department is also in the process of crafting its new plan for student loan forgiveness after the Supreme Court in June struck down Biden's first attempt at broad relief. The department will meet with a group of negotiators for the third time in December to develop language for the final rule, which is set to be more narrow than the first time around.
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