WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program.

According to NBC News, justices voted 6-3 to strike down the program stating that that it was an unlawful exercise of power because it hadn't been explicitly approved by Congress.

The plan would have allowed borrowers to cancel up to $20,000 in debt and would have cost over $400 billion. According to NBC News, this has been blocked since a temporary hold was issued by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in October.

NBC News reports that advocates and Democratic Congress members say the Education Department has broad power to forgive student debt under the 1965 Higher Education Act, which is a different law to the one at issue in the Supreme Court case.

According to NBC News, the repayment process will begin at the end of August, but the first payments will not be due until October.