The Biden administration withdrew some of its top education proposals on Friday, including its plans to overhaul federal student loans and to set rules around the participation of transgender athletes on school sports teams.
The decision to pull down the proposed regulations was a tacit acknowledgment that they would go nowhere under the administration of incoming President-elect Donald J. Trump, who made criticizing protections for transgender people a central theme during his campaign.
But the move also helped insulate both policies against immediate manipulation by the incoming administration. The decision seems to ensure that the open proposals could not be quickly rewritten.
The Education Department said that it had decided to withdraw the rule related to transgender athletes because of a variety of pending lawsuits on the issue.
“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,” the department wrote in its decision.
Earlier in the day, the Biden administration also began the process of withdrawing two unfinished student loan regulations that aimed to cancel debt for around 38 million people.
The pending regulations were essentially a Plan B after the Supreme Court ruled last year that the Biden administration had overstepped its authority with its plan to wipe out more than $400 billion in student debt.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
