United States Senate
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Senator:
On behalf of our 3 million members and the 50 million students they serve, we urge you to VOTE YES on S.J. Res. 182 to overturn a Department of Education rule that threatens to undermine the successful Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Votes on this issue may be included in NEA’s report card for the 119th Congress.
Scheduled to take effect on July 1, this rule gives the Department of Education broad authority to deny or revoke PSLF eligibility for certain employers based on vague and politically driven criteria. Instead of recognizing public service, this policy could disqualify entire organizations, as well as school districts, colleges, and universities—putting hard-earned loan forgiveness at risk for many public service workers, including educators at all levels from pre-K to postgraduate.
Here are just a few of their stories, and what PSLF has meant to them.
When Congress created PSLF in 2007, it made a clear promise: Complete 10 years of public service, make consistent loan payments, and your remaining debt will be forgiven. Millions of Americans structured their entire careers around that promise. Weakening the PSLF program will discourage people from entering and remaining in public service, and harm the communities that rely on them.
We urge you to VOTE YES on S.J. Res. 182 to ensure that PSLF remains a fair, nonpartisan program that honors our government’s promise to public service workers.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Johnson Trinca
Director of Government Relations
National Education Association
