“Their actions are simply harsh and aim to extract as much as they can from those who already have little,” remarked a representative from a student borrower advocacy group.
On Monday, the Trump administration resumed its collection efforts on defaulted student loans after a five-year hiatus, escalating economic turmoil for American families, especially as threats loom to garnish wages for those unable to meet heightened payment demands. Mike Pierce from the Student Borrower Protection Center criticized the move, predicting severe economic disruption for working families nationwide.
Nearly 200 organizations, including the SBPC, expressed their disapproval in a letter to James Bergeron, the acting undersecretary of education. They criticized the government’s plans to dismantle income-driven repayment schemes and scrap the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, a scheme that has provided debt relief to a million public service workers since its inception in 2007.
The collective urged the administration to adopt policies that safeguard student borrowers instead of pushing initiatives that increase expenses and dilute existing protections.
Currently, over 42 million Americans are burdened by student loans, accumulating more than $1.6 trillion in debt. With over 5 million borrowers in default—a number that may rise to 10 million—the cessation of supportive programs by the Trump administration is poised to exacerbate financial challenges for many.
This wave of collections follows the blockage of former President Joe Biden’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan by Republican-led lawsuits and occurs just days after GOP members of the House Education and Workforce Committee proposed slashing over $350 billion from educational programs. Accountable.US, a government watchdog, accused these actions of paving the way for tax reductions benefiting politicians, wealthy donors, and corporations.
The approved Republican measures include:
- Severe cuts to federal student aid by capping various loans and completely eliminating subsidized loans for undergraduates and Grad PLUS loans, disproportionately affecting low-income families and students at HBCUs;
- Removing protections from the Biden era, such as regulations that provided forgiveness to students of closed schools or those failing to secure gainful employment, effectively canceling $17.2 billion in federal student loans for nearly a million misled borrowers;
- Ousting Biden’s SAVE plan and narrowing the repayment options to just two models, potentially increasing costs for countless borrowers, particularly those with modest incomes; and
- Altering Pell Grant qualifications by redefining full-time college attendance to 30 credit hours per year and necessitating at least half-time attendance for grant eligibility.
Tony Carrk, executive director of Accountable.US, criticized the Republicans for undermining essential programs that millions depend on, ostensibly to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest. He noted that these education cuts starkly contrast with the GOP’s supposed commitment to reducing costs and improving government efficacy for Americans, suggesting that these actions would do the opposite.
The Debt Collective, a union of student loan borrowers, highlighted that the Trump administration was not legally required to start debt collections on Monday. They condemned the administration’s approach as excessively harsh, particularly towards those with limited financial resources.
Beyond wage garnishment, the resumption of collections could severely impact millions by damaging their credit scores. The Federal Reserve in March forecasted that delinquencies might lead to credit score drops of up to 171 points, subsequently increasing borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards.
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) labeled President Trump’s wage garnishment strategy for debt collection as “unconscionable.” She argued that neither President Trump nor Education Secretary Linda McMahon should be seizing wages, tax refunds, or Social Security checks from the public.
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An economic reporter, Dax Everly breaks down financial trends and their impact on Americans’ daily lives.