President Joe Biden has announced that his administration will forgive $1.2 billion in student loans for nearly 153,000 people as part of a new repayment plan designed to offer a faster path to forgiveness. This includes debt cancellation for individuals who have been repaying loans of $12,000 or less for at least 10 years. The move is particularly aimed at helping community college and other borrowers with smaller loans. The Biden administration has already begun sending email notifications to borrowers who will benefit from the program, with the cancellations scheduled to start six months ahead of schedule, in February. This follows Biden’s previous pledge to pursue other avenues for debt relief after a broader plan to forgive $430 billion in student loan debt was blocked by the Supreme Court. In his announcement, Biden highlighted the burden of student loan debt on many Americans and the need for more affordable education. This latest move is part of a larger effort by the Biden administration, which has now cancelled some $138 billion in student debt for nearly 3.9 million people through executive actions. These actions are likely to appeal to left-leaning progressive and young voters, although they are opposed by many Republicans.