Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
After the Department of Education announced a draft proposal to reform student loan repayment, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten applauded the move.
“This is a big piece of the extreme makeover we need to fix the $1.7 trillion college affordability crisis that plagues America’s families,” Weingarten said. “Today’s proposal means hundreds of thousands of borrowers, especially the least well-off, won’t have to choose between servicing student loans, paying rent or buying food. At its center it makes the income-driven repayment plans—that most educators and other public employees enroll in to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness—far more manageable.
“The Biden administration deserves kudos for seizing the initiative to make these reforms real. But there is still much more to be done, including curbing graduate school debt and restoring the general student debt relief that far-right special interests have used the courts to stop.”