As Joe Biden works to secure a second term in the White House, his promise to "forgive" Americans' student loan debts has once again returned to the forefront of national conversation.

Polling shows that many folks carrying these loans do wish to have them dismissed. Some have even demanded that Biden unilaterally wipe away all university debt. Of course, an act like this would pass along the tab to everyday taxpayers, many of whom are barely making ends meet as is.

Various officials and pundits theorize that focusing on student loan forgiveness will prove advantageous to the president's political campaign. Though it could also very well backfire.

Here's what some people are forgetting

Back in 2023, the United States Supreme Court ruled against Biden's efforts to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans per person. In making this judgment, the court determined the president would need congressional approval to move forward with such an act.

To this very day, Biden has not worked to get the House and Senate on board with his student loan forgiveness initiatives. Virtually nothing has changed since last year's ruling; yet, the president and his team continue to beat the drum of student loan forgiveness, presumably to win votes.

Should the president move forward with student loan forgiveness measures (again), they will undoubtedly face legal challenges from Republicans. Once that happens, they'll return to the Supreme Court (again), dead on arrival.

Could Biden get congressional approval?

As Congress stands today - with Republicans narrowly controlling the House and Democrats holding the Senate - it's very unlikely that Biden will secure enough votes to implement the student loan forgiveness policies he's discussed.

After November, however, if Democrats retake the House, the president would stand a better chance of attaining the necessary congressional support.

Between then and now, Biden and those in his camp who continue talking about waiving university debt are simply stringing people along in the name of securing their votes.

Then again, the president's team may figure that with polls showing him struggling against Trump, actually living up to student loan forgiveness promises is worth kicking down the road.