Natural State News

When it comes to COVID-19-era measures, the state of Arkansas continues to be active in the areas of student loans and tax cuts, according to Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin.

“I thought of student loans and tax cuts because the federal government sought to use COVID as an opportunity to meddle in those areas,” Griffin said. 

Griffin, who served as Arkansas lieutenant governor during COVID, was among the attorneys general lecturing on a panel at the 2023 Republican National Lawyers Association on May 12.

Griffin co-led the lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness initiative, which is currently pending before the Supreme Court. 

“We got an injunction in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and we're waiting on a Supreme Court opinion right now,” he said.

Griffin, along with attorneys general from Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina, alleged in their complaint that the student debt cancellation program violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). That original complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. 

After U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey dismissed the complaint, the attorneys general filed a petition for a writ of certiorari and the U.S. Supreme Court granted it.

As a result, student loan debtors nationwide will learn this year whether they can count on the U.S. government to cancel up to $20,000 of their student loan debt. 

“Unless you think COVID is just vaccines and masks with this administration, COVID has covered a lot of waterfronts,” Griffin told the audience. “Part of the problem here is we're talking about an expansive administration.”

“With the American Rescue Plan Act funds, if you remember, the Fed said they would give us funds, but you can't use this massive injection of cash,” Griffin added. “You can't do good things in terms of tax relief related to that. Along with West Virginia and Alabama, we fought that, and we won in the 11th Circuit. Now, there's been a request for a full panel. We're waiting on that.”

Other panelists included: Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. The moderator was Missouri attorney Marc Ellinger, president of the Republican National Lawyers Association.