On October 30, 2026, AFT President Randi Weingarten joined nine AFT members and student loan borrowers in a class action lawsuit to sue U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon for systematically preventing tens of thousands of public service workers from securing millions in debt relief they are owed under federal law. The lawsuit, Weingarten et al. v. McMahon, was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. and alleges the U.S. Department of Education is pushing eligible borrowers farther away from debt forgiveness by illegally withholding or delaying Public Service Loan Forgiveness “Buyback” determinations, failing to award borrowers credit for time worked in public service, and illegally clawing back previously credited time. All plaintiffs and the proposed class of borrowers are represented by Protect Borrowers and Berger Montague PC.
Read our Press Release Announcing this Lawsuit: ‘Weingarten v. McMahon’: Major Class Action Lawsuit Launched Against Education Secretary Over Student Loan Crisis
Read the Complaint: Weingarten v. McMahon Lawsuit Complaint