Letter Proposes Slate of Diverse and Qualified Negotiators Ready to Lend Vital Expertise and Experience on PSLF and IDR
June 2, 2025 | WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dozens of organizations representing millions of students, borrowers, union members, veterans, and other stakeholders sent a letter today to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) urging officials to expand the slate of negotiator seats on its proposed negotiated rulemaking committee. The letter includes a list of 13 names of qualified nominees who would bring critical and necessary perspectives and expertise to the committee.
A copy of the letter is available here.
The letter warns that ED’s current committee structure—which collapses critical constituencies into fewer seats and excludes advocates for disabilities entirely—would silence the voices of those most impacted by any changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) programs.
In response, Persis Yu, Deputy Executive Director and Managing Counsel at Student Borrower Protection Center, issued the following statement:
“The Trump Administration’s proposal to cram civil rights, legal aid, and consumer advocacy groups into fewer seats is a naked attempt to stack the decks against borrowers and engineer a predetermined outcome for this rulemaking. The financial lives of millions of borrowers are at stake. Our slate of experts understands how these changes will affect millions of public service workers, working families, and vulnerable borrowers. We cannot allow the voices of borrowers and the experts who work on behalf of borrowers every day to be silenced. This Administration must not use this process as political theater and create a committee that will rubber-stamp their attacks on student debt relief.”
Joining the Student Borrower Protection Center, Sameer Gadkaree, President and CEO of The Institute for College Access & Success, issued the following statement:
“Students and borrowers who are most affected by regulatory decisions from the U.S. Department of Education deserve as many places at the negotiating table as possible. Unfortunately, the Department appears poised to assemble a negotiating committee that minimizes their experiences and obscures the real challenges of living with student debt. We join our partners in calling on the Department to give students and borrowers a robust voice as it considers culling essential programs – including critical supports like income-driven repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.”
A borrower comment from the second public hearing on the rulemaking:
“… it’s so important for people like me, people all across this country, to have a stake in creating the rules that will govern ourselves. We know the nuances that it takes to live life in America. We know what we can and cannot do. And when we uplift voices, we can make sure that whatever policies we create are equitable. We don’t have to go after folks and garnish their wages if we put them at the table in the forefront of that rulemaking to begin with. …move forward with this idea of allowing those of us who are burdened with student debt to be the solution to paying it back.”
In addition to the seats proposed by ED, the coalition specifically demands separate seats for civil rights organizations, consumer advocates, and legal aid representatives, and requests the inclusion of individuals with disabilities or organizations representing them to ensure all affected communities have proper representation.
Further Reading
186 organization letter to ED in response to ED’s notice about Negotiated Rulemaking to Implement a Trump Executive Order: Hundreds of Democracy, Labor, and Civil Rights Organizations Warn Trump Education Officials: Do Not “Weaponize PSLF”
SBPC advisory on Negotiated Rulemaking hearings: Borrowers and Advocates to Demand Protections for Millions at Neg Reg as ED Moves to Gut Affordable Student Loan Payments
AFT and SBPC statement on PSLF Executive Order: Advocates Blast Trump Plans to Sign Executive Order to Weaponize Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Stifle Free Speech Across America
Collection of borrower stories: Voices Behind the Student Debt Crisis
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About Student Borrower Protection Center
Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) is a nonprofit organization focused on eliminating the burden of student debt for millions of Americans. We engage in advocacy, policymaking, and litigation strategy to rein in industry abuses, protect borrowers’ rights, and advance racial and economic justice.
Learn more at protectborrowers.org or follow SBPC on Twitter @theSBPC.