SBPC and AFT Still Committed to Ensuring Borrowers Access Right to Affordable Payments and Debt Relief Amid Million-Borrower Paperwork Backlog
March 25, 2025 | WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the first hearing since AFT filed its lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for barring access to Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans, ED, through its Department of Justice lawyers, stated that it plans to make IDR applications available tomorrow, March 26. Despite this commitment, ED will not immediately begin processing IDR applications, as more than 1 million borrowers remain in limbo and unable to invoke their rights to affordable loan payments. The AFT is represented by the Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) and Berger Montague PC.
This update comes less than 24 hours after AFT filed a motion seeking emergency court intervention to force ED to accept and process IDR applications. AFT will continue to pursue this matter in court until it is confident that ED will accept and timely process IDR applications and that borrowers receive the payments and credit toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) to which they are entitled under federal law. The next hearing is scheduled for April 17, 2025.
“After denying borrowers their right to apply for affordable repayment options for nearly a month, ED’s decision to restore IDR applications reaffirms what borrowers already knew: This relief should never have been taken away,” said SBPC Deputy Executive Director and Managing Counsel Persis Yu. “Behind every delayed application is a real human—like the teachers, nurses, and public service workers who courageously shared with the court statements about watching their PSLF countdown clocks freeze and bills piling up. Every day these applications go unprocessed deprives borrowers of critical time toward PSLF relief and financial stability.”
“Today’s announcement shows that when working people band together and demand justice, we can make progress. Today, the federal government took a step because of our lawsuit to restore some borrowers’ rights. More must be done, but at the very least, the applications for IDR plans will be online and accessible. Still more than 1 million people have already asked the government to lower their loan payments, only to be met with months of red tape, backlogs, and dead ends,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “While access to a loan application is important, let’s be clear that until borrowers have the relief the law envisions-public service workers getting the credit to which they are entitled, and all borrowers having access to the programs that allow them to lower their monthly payments in accordance with their earnings, we will keep fighting in court.”
Further Reading
SBPC blog on what borrowers can do right now: Amidst Unprecedented Uncertainty, It Is Time for Student Loan Borrowers to Go On Offense
Sworn declarations from borrowers harmed by the IDR shutdown: Borrower Declarations_AFT Motion for TRO_03-24-2025
AFT’s lawsuit against ED: AFT v. U.S. Department of Education
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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.
About the AFT
The AFT represents 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.Learn more at aft.org or follow AFT on Twitter @AFTunion.