The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused the Biden administration’s request to immediately clear the way for its new student loan relief and repayment plan, adding to uncertainty about the future of a program that would affect millions of borrowers.

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday the Biden administration’s latest student loan forgiveness plan should remain blocked while a court battle plays out over its fate, keeping some federal student loan borrowers’ payments on pause while the litigation moves forward.

Higher education is believed by many to be a bridge to a financially secure future. But for the more than 43 million Americans who together owe $1.6 trillion in student debt, that bridge gets longer and harder to cross when federal courts continue to block programs designed to relieve borrowers of the rising costs of loan repayment.