I was thrilled to hear that the Biden-Harris administration is taking further action to fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
This week, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced a series of administrative changes that will result in immediate debt cancellation for at least 40,000 borrowers under PSLF. Thousands more will receive forgiveness through income-driven repayment (IDR).
Under Cardona, the U.S. Department of Education has already approved $6.8 billion for more than 113,000 public servants through improvements to PSLF. Under his predecessor, Betsy DeVos, the department denied 98 percent of PSLF applications and forgave just 16,000 borrowers.
The numbers tell the story: In stark contrast to the previous administration, the Biden-Harris administration sees, hears, and values educators.
In solidarity,
Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association
President Biden’s FY2023 budget proposal is a statement of values that we share. It would make historic investments in the students most in need through $36.5 billion in Title I funding, $16.3 billion in IDEA state grants, and $468 million in full-service community schools.
Before the pandemic, 1 in 5 children had a mental disorder, but only about 20 percent of them received care from a mental health provider, according to CDC data. The need has grown while mental health care is harder to get than ever.
Last year, 55 of the nation’s largest corporations paid no federal income tax on $40.5 billion in profits. America’s wealthiest 1% got $4 trillion richer, capturing 35% of the extra wealth while the poorest half of the population got just 4%.
CHEER: Reps. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Andy Levin (D-MI), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) are leading a congressional sign-on letter urging an increase in funding for the National Labor Relations Board.
CHEER: Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona supporting proposed regulations that would introduce greater accountability and transparency in the charter schools program and protect against financial risks posed by for-profit charter schools.
CHEER: Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Jim Baird (R-IN) introduced the PSLF Payment Completion Fairness Act (H.R. 7455) to simplify the process of receiving loan forgiveness, improve the applicant success rate, and encourage people to enter public service. Applicants would no longer be required to be employed in public service at the time they receive PSLF.
CHEER: Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) is leading a congressional sign-on letter urging the House Appropriations Committee to prohibit the use of federal funds for the apprehension, detention, or deportation of children seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
CHEER: Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) is leading a congressional sign-on letter urging the House Appropriations Committee to invest $100 million in the citizenship and integration grant program in FY2023.
CHEER: Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) is leading a congressional sign-on letter supporting President Biden’s FY2023 budget proposal and the inclusion of $913 million in discretionary funding for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
