Education Department forgives $1.2B in student loans for 35,000 borrowers

July 18 (UPI) -- The Department of Education on Thursday announced $1.2 billion more in student loan relief for 35,000 borrowers through its Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

The department said the White House has now forgiven loans for 4.76 million student borrowers totaling $168.5 billion. The forgiveness was made available through fixes in the loan program used by those who went to work in the public sector and have made the required 120 monthly payments.

"These 35,000 borrowers approved for forgiveness today are public service workers - teachers, law enforcement officials, and first responders who have dedicated their lives to strengthening their communities and because of the fixes we made to Public Service Loan Program Forgiveness, they will now have more breathing room to support themselves and their families," President Joe Biden said in a White House statement .

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Rep. Jim Clyburn , D-S.C., visit Voorhees College and Denmark Technical Colleg in Denmark, S.C., on Thursday to speak with borrowers and highlight the announcement.

Cardona said the updates to the PSLF were "long overdue."

"The additional Americans approved for PSLF today are hardworking public servants who will finally receive the financial breathing room they were promised," Cardona said in a statement. "This is relief that will bring real change in their lives and mark another win for the administration's relentless and unapologetic work to fix a broken student loan system."

Student loan relief has been one of Biden's long-standing campaign promises he has been trying to fulfill since the U.S. Supreme Court shot down a more expansive student loan forgiveness program under emergency rules last year.

The decision forced the administration to piecemeal student loan forgiveness strategies by targeting individual federal programs.

Republicans have sought to block Biden's efforts with various lawsuits. Last month, federal judges in Missouri and Kansas stuck down part of Biden's effort at student loan relief through its Saving on a Valuable Education Plan.