The U.S. Department of Education has decided to withdraw a proposal that aimed to offer student loan debt relief to borrowers facing financial hardship. Initially, the proposal sought to clarify how the Secretary of Education could use existing powers to waive student loan debts in certain difficult situations. However, due to challenges in implementing these rules, as well as the need to focus on other priorities like helping borrowers return to repayment after a break, the Department has chosen to stop pursuing these changes. This decision does not reflect a change in the Department's beliefs about their authority to provide debt relief under existing laws.
Simple Explanation
The U.S. Department of Education wanted to create a new rule to help people who were having a hard time paying back their student loans, but they decided not to do it right now because it's tricky to put in place and they need to work on other important things first.