On Monday the formal launch of the federal application for Americans seeking student loan forgiveness was announced. This program is estimated to help 43 million Americans with their student debt. Biden’s decision is to cancel up to $10,000 in student loan debt to individuals making less than $125,000 a year. According to CNN, “Borrowers Borrowers must have federally held student loans to qualify. In addition to federal Direct Loans used to pay for an undergraduate degree, federal PLUS loans borrowed by graduate students and parents may also be eligible if the borrower meets the income requirements.”

The Department of Education says they already have income information for nearly 8 million borrowers, they will automatically receive the debt relief if they meet the income requirement unless they opt out. Biden’s administration states that people who are more likely to exceed the income cutoff will be required to include additional information, such as a tax transcript. Eligible borrowers will receive an email about possible debt relief, but do not need to go through with the program.

There has already been controversy surrounding Biden’s relief program; the Department of Education is facing several lawsuits challenging the policy. This could put on a temporary block on the program until the judge reaches a final ruling. When asked about the challenges his plan is facing, Biden said that he thinks it will hold up in court, calling Republicans’ outrage “hypocritical” and “wrong.” Biden also stated, “I will never apologize for helping working Americans and middle-class people as they recover from the pandemic.”