plan their lives around not seeking loans, and people who are not eligible for loans in the first place. and that half a trillion dollars is being diverted to one group of favored persons over others. reporter: so a lot is on the line for millions of borrowers. if the supreme court upholds this program, debt cancellation could come pretty quickly, because the biden administration has already approved 16 million applications. but it does appear, jake, from the questioning of this conservative-led court that they could strike down this program. and if they do, that will really end the hopes of debt relief, at least for now, for millions of americans. jake? all right, jessica schneider outside the court, thank you. crowds of people gathered outside the court today during oral arguments, many of them calling on the supreme court to uphold president biden s debt relief. rene marsh talked to some of these protesters and brings us their stories. hey hey, ho ho, student debt
in the hole again. so i m just well, hamilton, that veteran that you saw in the piece there, despite the government garnishing 15% of his social security disability payments for the loan that he defaulted on, interest and fees made it virtually impossible for him to put a dent in the principle. and another thing he said that stuck with me, he said he hopes he won t die in debt. he hopes to qualify for credit to buy a home, something he s wanted to do for the past more than 40 years. and that, jake, really speaks to the long-lasting financial impact that this supreme court decision could have on these borrowers. all right, rene marsh, thank you so much. white house officials closely monitored the supreme court s oral arguments, one source telling cnn that the biden administration believes it will ultimately win the case. but the conservative justices on the court seemed unlikely to uphold biden s plan. phil mattingly joins us from the white house. what was the mood there as oral a