On April 21, the Department of Education announced that it would resume collections on defaulted federal student loans, making a clear break from student loan policy under President Joe Biden, who consistently worked to forgive or pause federal student loan payments even as he faced legal defeat.
"American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a press release. "The Biden Administration misled borrowers: the executive branch does not have the constitutional authority to wipe debt away, nor do the loan balances simply disappear."
The Trump administration has already taken several steps to reverse Biden-era student loan policy. Last month, the Education Department took down applications for a Biden administration income-driven repayment plan that had been halted in federal court. Soon after, the department replaced it with a revised, significantly less generous plan. Last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order preventing borrowers who work at ideologically disfavored employers from being eligible for public service loan forgiveness, such as those "aiding or abetting violations of…Federal immigration laws" or providing child gender transitions.
