The Biden administration is withdrawing several signature education-related initiatives that were likely to be scrapped by the incoming administration.

The Education Department announced it withdrew what was known as President Biden’s “Plan B” for student loan cancellation. That proposal would have granted debt cancellation to borrowers who saw their balances balloon due to interest, those who attended a “low-value” school that did not comply with federal standards, and people who took out loans more than 20 years ago and qualified for debt relief but did not apply for it. 

A second student loan plan that the administration pulled was introduced in October. It would have given the Education secretary the authority to cancel all of a borrower’s loans if it was determined that they were facing an economic hardship. 

On Friday, the Education Department and the Office for Civil Rights also withdrew a 2023 proposed Title IX rule change that would have prevented schools from issuing blanket bans on transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that do not match their biological sex.  

The Education secretary, Miguel Cardona, said in a five-page docket that his department had received more than 150,000 public comments about the Title IX  change with a “broad spectrum of opinions.” He also said there are “multiple pending lawsuits related to the application of Title IX in the context of gender identity.”

“In light of the comments received and those various pending court cases, the Department has determined not to regulate on this issue at this time,” he added. 

The decision to withdraw the three proposals stands in contrast to efforts by other parts of the administration to rush money out the door for a series of left-wing projects before President-elect Trump takes office.

After the election in November, the Commerce Department announced it was providing $6.6 billion to help the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company build three facilities in Arizona. Meanwhile, the Energy Department announced a $6.6 billion loan to money-losing electric vehicle maker Rivian to build a new factory in Georgia. 

Even as the Education Department was withdrawing student loan proposals, it was announcing a new round of student debt relief. On Friday, the department announced $4.28 billion in student debt cancellation for roughly 55,000 public service laborers. 

In addition to the spending rush, the administration also is working on issuing new regulations in its final weeks. The Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finalized a rule that mandates all new vehicles to have rear seat belt alarms by September 1, 2027. The Environmental Protection Agency also approved a waiver for California to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars. 

The decision to cancel the “Plan B” student loan cancellation plan, the hardship plan, and the Title IX rule change may have simply been due to a belief that the Trump administration would cancel them.

However, an attorney and contributor to Forbes, Adam Minsky, suggests there might be other reasons for the decision to pull the three proposals. 

One possible reason is a concern that if they are not finalized before Mr. Biden leaves office, the process would not simply end, and it could open the door for Trump officials to implement its agenda faster.

The Associated Press notes that once a proposal goes through a public comment period, as the Title IX initiative did, it can be rewritten and then finalized without having to go through the comment period again. By withdrawing the proposals, the Trump administration will be required to start the lengthy process of implementing its own rule changes from scratch. 

Another possible reason for withdrawing the proposals is to limit the possibility that they will be challenged in court.

If Mr. Biden’s Title IX change or student loan plans had been finalized, it was possible they would face legal challenges from conservative states. If the challenges went to the Supreme Court and were found to be unconstitutional, it could impede future Democratic administration’s attempts to implement similar policy initiatives.