Cardona: Ed Dept. "moving full speed ahead" with student loan relief prep

The Biden administration is "moving full speed ahead" with preparations for its student loan forgiveness plan, Education Secretary Cardona said in a USA Today op-ed published Saturday.

Why it matters: A federal appeals court temporarily blocked the plan on Friday to allow a lawsuit from six Republican states against President Biden, Cardona and the department to play out in court.

• White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre encouraged people to still apply to the program shortly after the plan was blocked.

What they're saying: "Amid some Republicans trying every which way to block the Biden Administration’s debt relief program, the department is moving full speed ahead with preparations for the lawful implementation of our program so we can deliver relief to borrowers who need it most," Cardona wrote.

• "Already, 22 million people have provided the department with the necessary information we need to review their eligibility for student debt relief," he added.
• Though the op-ed's headline said the lawsuit "won't derail Biden's plan," Cardona does not explain why he believes the suit will ultimately fail.

The big picture: Nebraska, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina filed the lawsuit in September, alleging the Biden administration overstepped its executive powers in going forward with the debt relief program.

• Arizona also joined state-led litigation efforts that month by filing a separate lawsuit.
• The Supreme Court declined to block Biden's program in a separate case involving a conservative tax group last week.

Go deeper: Where things stand with Biden's student loan forgiveness plan