$1.4 million in Texas student debt relief approved

At least half of eligible borrowers in every U.S. congressional district applied for or were automatically approved for President Biden's student debt relief plan before it was blocked due to legal challenges.

Why it matters: There was strong interest across red and blue districts during the brief application window, per new U.S. Education Department data.

The details: In most congressional districts, 60%-65% of eligible borrowers applied or automatically qualified.

Zoom in: In the five San Antonio-area congressional districts, 503,100 borrowers were eligible for the relief.

• About 304,500 borrowers applied or were deemed automatically eligible.

Yes, but: Just 197,300 approved forgiveness applications were sent to loan servicers to discharge among the five districts.

The big picture: Some 26 million people — out of more than 40 million eligible borrowers nationwide — applied for student loan debt cancellation or had already provided enough information to the U.S. Education Department to be deemed eligible.

• More than 2.1 million Texans applied or were eligible for relief. Nearly 1.4 million applications were approved to be discharged.

What's next: The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments on the student loan forgiveness plan Tuesday.

• The Biden administration in November filed an emergency appeal asking the justices to lift the injunction issued by a Trump-appointed U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Texas that halted the program.