Cecilia Castelli for NPR

In a new court filing , the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is asking a federal judge to force the U.S. Department of Education to follow the law and cancel the debts of borrowers who have met longstanding requirements for loan forgiveness.

The AFT argues the department is delaying cancellation for many borrowers in a way that is "unwarranted and unlawful" and will have "real and significant consequences."

That's because the clock is ticking. With the American Rescue Plan, Congress temporarily stopped treating loan cancellation as taxable income until Jan. 1, 2026. Soon, many borrowers will again be expected to pay taxes on those cancelled debts.

The AFT is seeking an injunction to force the department to do a few things, including:

Cancel the debts of

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