Today, the Brown County Taxpayers Association (“BCTA”) filed a three-count complaint in Eastern Wisconsin’s US Federal District Court against defendants including the President of the United States and the Secretary of the US Department of Education. In its filing, the BCTA asserts that President Biden’s One-Time Student Loan Debt Relief Plan (the “Plan”) violates the US Constitution’s separation of powers between Congress and the Executive branch. The complaint also claims the Plan breaches the 5th Amendment’s equal protection doctrine by expressly stating that its purpose is to advance “racial equity”. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (“WILL”) is representing the BCTA in its legal action.

BCTA’s president, Rich Heidel states that, “It’s unfortunate we must give the President of the United States and his administration an eighth-grade civics lesson on justice and the US Constitution. It doesn’t matter that their names are Biden and Cardona. It doesn’t matter their titles, or that their offices are in Washington D.C. Contesting issues like this Student Loan Forgiveness Plan is right in the BCTA’s wheelhouse and conforms to our mission and reason for existing.”

Legal and constitutional issues aside, the Plan qualifies as a poster child for ruinous public policy. The BCTA’s 100(+) dues-paying members advocate for individual freedom and citizen responsibility, and limited government that is fiscally responsible, transparent, and accountable to the people. Heidel claims, “these principles are shared by most Americans and Biden’s plan shreds them. This Plan corrupts the concepts of personal responsibility and taxpayer equity.”

Heidel says, “Student Loan Debt Relief takes from one group of people and arbitrarily distributes the spoils to another group. The Plan amounts to nothing more than a modern-day version of King George III’s Stamp Act where there was massive taxing and spending without participation of the People’s representatives.”

The Plan also adds hundreds of billions more in deficit spending to a 2022 deficit that has already surpassed $1 trillion. The shock of even more government spending at a time of already disastrous inflation (inflation which itself was created by irresponsible federal government measures) is exceedingly reckless. Finally, the October timing of Student Loan Debt Relief is plainly tied to curry favor for Democrats in the November mid-term elections.


The Brown County Taxpayers Association is a local group working to bring information

and awareness to issues that affect tax policy or impose regulatory burdens.

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