Education Department says that a subset of federal student loans owned by private lenders no longer qualify for relief.
By Michael Stratford, Politico
The Biden administration is scaling back its debt relief program for millions of Americans over concerns about legal challenges from the student loan industry as well as a new lawsuit from Republican-led states.
In a reversal, the Education Department said on Thursday it would no longer allow borrowers who have federal student loans that are owned by private entities to qualify for the relief program. The administration had previously said those borrowers would have a path to receive up to $10,000 or $20,000 of loan forgiveness.

The policy change comes as the Biden administration this week faces its first major legal challenges to the loan forgiveness program, which Republicans have railed against as an illegal use of executive power that is too costly for taxpayers.
On Thursday, a group of six GOP attorneys general sued to block loan forgiveness. The states of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Carolina asked a federal judge to strike down the debt cancellation program, arguing that it’s illegal and unconstitutional.
The student loans that are guaranteed by the federal government but held by private entities account for a relatively small, and shrinking, subset of all outstanding federal student debt. They comprise just several million of the roughly 45 million Americans with federal student loans.
Recent Posts
Politicians Should Stop Hiding Behind the “Two-State Solution” Fantasy
July 16, 2026
Take Action Now Claiming to know what’s best for Palestinians is built into a colonial mindset that has propelled intervention in the region for more…
Nebraska Wants Data Centers to Come Clean About Water Usage
July 15, 2026
Take Action Now The industry can be a black box of information. But as the state deals with persistent drought, residents and regulators want more…
Johnson Says Pentagon Needs More Money for ‘Fighting Communism on our own Shores’
July 15, 2026
Take Action Now Trump has threatened to deploy the military against the “enemy within” and has recently promoted the idea that “democratic socialism…
Trump Says Iran War Has Restarted, Potentially Resetting War Powers Clock
July 14, 2026
Take Action Now Democrats have said they may sue the president if he doesn’t adhere to previous War Powers votes.By Chris Walker, Truthout…




