Senator Bernie Sanders’ Student Loan Plan

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has rolled out his plan to address student loan debt, and it’s a doozy. First, Sanders proposes we cancel all $1.6 trillion of outstanding student loan debt outright – including both federal and private loans. This would directly affect about 45 million Americans. The direct savings for the average student loan […]

Student Loan Tax Elimination Act Introduced in Senate

A new bill in the Senate, the Student Loan Tax Elimination Act, would eliminate student loan origination fees on federal loans. If approved, the measure could save borrowers billions over the next five years. Supporters say that origination fees on student loans amount to a “hidden tax” on student loan borrowers. And since the Department […]

Joe Biden and His Controversial History With Student Loans

Under current law, federal student loans are generally not dischargeable in bankruptcy. Borrowers have Joe Biden to thank for that. In contrast, most other forms of consumer debt can be discharged through the bankruptcy process.  Only a limited number of debts, such as child support payments, alimony, overdue taxes, and criminal fines, are non-dischargeable. But […]

Understanding the Progressive Position on the Student Loan Debt Crisis

For years now, the progressive political movement has been gaining its foothold on the main stage of modern American politics, and finally, we are starting to see some real strides being made towards addressing the student loan debt crisis in a manner that benefits the people of this country and not the banks and private […]

Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Student Loan Forgiveness Proposal

The student loan crisis is taking center stage in the 2020 presidential election campaign.  The numbers are attention-grabbing: student loan debt is now the second biggest form of outstanding consumer debt. With more than $1.5 billion in student loans debt outstanding, education debt eclipsed credit card debt almost a decade ago. Only mortgage debt is […]

Sen. Marco Rubio Student Loan Plan Benefits Vast Majority of Future Borrowers

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has jumped into the student loan policy ring with a series of new proposals, introduced in the Senate as the Leveraging Opportunities for Americans Now Act of 2019 — or the LOAN Act <groan>, for short. Here’s a brief look at the Marco Rubio student loan proposal and how it will […]

The Trump Student Loan Plan – What It Could Mean For You

The Trump Administration released a series of education reform proposals this week that, if enacted, could have a substantial impact on college-bound students and student loan borrowers. The White House released the proposal as Congress prepares to reauthorize and amend the Higher Education Act. Both the Administration and Congress are grappling with a huge and […]

Legislative Hero: Julia Brownley

Congresswoman Julia Brownley has sponsored and co-sponsored legislation for people fighting student debt. In this post we show a quick and encouraging interview with Congresswoman Brownley. Her responses to our questions remind us that, yes, there are people actively working to solve the daunting issue of student debt. Because of the work in which we […]

Contact Your Congressmen: Inspiring Large-Scale Help With Student Debt

Much of paying off student debt is constructing reliable habits and routines to slowly but surely pay back those loans. However, there are times when the metaphorical bee gets in one’s bonnet (or sun hat or baseball cap—whatever you might wear on your head), and a desire to do something about student debt and do […]

Changing Perspectives: Behind Higher Education Policy Making

Amid discussions and news about higher education policy and student debt, do you ever take the time to step back? To find a moment to think, “What is driving all this and how will it affect me?” In this post, we will step back and use our panned-out perspective to form a foundation that can […]

The Upside of the Upswing of the Student Loan Interest Rate

Student Loan Interest Rate Increase One thing that necessarily shapes every student’s loan journey is their student loan interest rate. For federal student loans in the U.S., this rate has just gone up. Now, the idea of paying more on a loan does not elicit immediate joy and exclamations of, “Oh, thank heavens!” In fact, many of us shake […]

Private Loans vs. Federal Loan Benefits: What’s Best for Student Debt

Looking through news and blogs related to student loan repayments can be tiring. So trust me, I see the situational irony in adding another piece to the myriad of posts for us to read through. Our aim is a worthy one, however: trying to shed useful light on the big problem of a nation with […]