Despite these advancements, Republican lawmakers have criticized Biden's focus on loan forgiveness, arguing it disproportionately benefits higher-income borrowers while burdening taxpayers.

Additionally, recent initiatives like the SAVE repayment plan are facing legal challenges from Republican-led states, complicating the landscape of student debt relief.

This announcement of student debt relief comes just weeks before the upcoming U.S. presidential election, underscoring its potential electoral significance.

As part of this initiative, the Biden administration has allocated $4.5 billion in debt relief to over 60,000 public service workers, further emphasizing their commitment to supporting those in public service.

The Biden administration has announced a significant milestone in student debt relief, revealing that over one million public service workers have benefited from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

The PSLF program enables the cancellation of remaining student loan balances for public servants who have made 120 monthly payments over a ten-year period.

This surge in approvals follows updates made by the administration, which allowed an additional 60,000 borrowers to receive loan cancellation on the announcement date alone.

Since President Biden took office in 2021, the total amount of student loan cancellation has surpassed $175 billion, impacting nearly 5 million borrowers.

Among those benefiting is Kelly Bickford, a kindergarten teacher from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, who is one of 3,190 borrowers in her state to have their loans forgiven under the PSLF program.

The Education Department has taken over the management of the PSLF program, which has improved participation rates among eligible borrowers.

In response to previous criticisms that the PSLF program was ineffective, the Biden administration introduced a temporary waiver in 2021, allowing borrowers to receive credit for periods of deferment or forbearance.

Vice President Kamala Harris has reiterated her commitment to making higher education more affordable and has criticized Republican opposition to student debt relief efforts.