Conservatives often complain that members of Congress have long delegated too much of their authority to the executive branch.

Yet as Washington Examiner columnist Brad Polumbo pointed out in a piece on Saturday, there is at least one area in which congressional Republicans are fighting back.

Lawmakers challenge student loan forgiveness plan

Polumbo pointed to a resolution passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday which took aim at President Joe Biden's student loan plan.

According to Fox News, the proposal puts taxpayers on the hook for up to $10,000 worth of debt for each person with a household income of less than $250,000 who borrowed money using federal student loans.

What's more, that price tag balloons to $20,000 for those student borrowers who were also the recipients of Pell Grants.

Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good sponsored the legislation, saying that it "is needed to help steer our government spending in a more responsible direction."

"Borrowers are responsible for their debts"

"Congress must reclaim its power and act today to stop the unilateral action of President Biden that is exacerbating the higher education financial crisis," he went on to add.

Good went on to reiterate that message in a tweet, declaring, "Student loan borrowers are responsible for their debts. Congress is responsible for the money we spend. The President cannot unilaterally change the rules. Why is this so difficult to understand?"

Student loan borrowers are responsible for their debts. Congress is responsible for the money we spend. The President cannot unilaterally change the rules. Why is this so difficult to understand?

— Congressman Bob Good (@RepBobGood) May 24, 2023

Polumbo praised that stand, noting how "under the Constitution, it is Congress, not the president, that is given the power to spend taxpayer money, 'the power of the purse. So, this measure was always flagrantly unlawful."

The columnist also noted that Wednesday's resolution passed almost entirely along partisan lines, with Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden and Washington Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez being the only members of their party to support it.

Study finds plan would mostly benefit those who are more well off

"It shouldn’t be a partisan stance for Congress to step up and take back its legal powers from a president who wants to infringe upon them," Polumbo wrote. "That’s ultimately what this GOP resolution does: restore our constitutional order."

What's more, he argued that Biden's plan is fundamentally unfair, pointing to  "analysis from the Wharton School of Business found that the bottom 40% of income earners — you know, the 'working class' they say this is supposed to help — only get about 27% of the financial benefits from Biden’s bailout."

He thus concluded that although "Republicans will be attacked as heartless and cruel." they nevertheless "have both the Constitution and sound economic principles on their side."