In June of last year, the Supreme Court ruled that President Joe Biden's plan to saddle taxpayers with over $400 billion worth of student loan debt was unconstitutional.

Yet in what amounts to a near-mutinous move, the president is still attempting to pursue student debt cancellation via other means. 

New relief targets public service workers

According to the Daily Mail, Biden revealed on Thursday that he will forgive the student loan debts of 78,000 public service workers.

Estimated to cost $6 billion, the move will extend debt relief to teachers, nurses, and firefighters under the 2007 Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).

"These public service workers have dedicated their careers to serving their communities, but because of past administrative failures, never got the relief they were entitled to under the law," Biden was quoted as saying in a statement.

"From day one of my Administration, I promised to fix broken student loan programs and make sure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity," the president continued.

"I won't back down from using every tool at my disposal to deliver student debt relief to more Americans, and build an economy from the middle out and bottom up," Biden went on to insist.

Total amount of debt relief has reached $150 billion

The Daily Mail noted that Thursday's announcement brings the total amount of student loan debt forgiven since last summer to $150 billion.

"For far too long, borrowers fell through the cracks of a broken system that failed to keep accurate track of their progress towards forgiveness," Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said last July.

"By fixing past administrative failures, we are ensuring everyone gets the forgiveness they deserve," the secretary asserted.

While the Biden administration has touted its desire to relieve student loan debt as a way to help those who are struggling, not everyone agrees with that characterization.

Former GOP senator says student debt relief is "a tax on the poor"

In an op-ed piece published last year by Fox News, former North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr called the effort "Robin Hood in reverse," complaining that "it takes from the poor and gives to the rich."

"The Biden administration’s policies on federal student loans are only making inflation worse, effectively imposing a tax on the poor to benefit the rich or better off," Burr wrote.

"Democrats have touted their student loan schemes as promoting economic equity, but in fact it does the opposite," he added.