Scott, Adams Demand FSA Leadership Testify about Implementation of the ‘Big, Ugly Bill’

Scott, Adams Demand FSA Leadership Testify about Implementation of the 'Big, Ugly Bill'

WASHINGTON- Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12), House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development (HEWD), requested Chairman Tim Walberg (MI-05), House Committee on Education and Workforce, hold an oversight hearing with the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) leadership and its ability to serve students and borrowers.

In the letter, they detail how mass layoffs and other efforts to illegally dismantle the Department of Education have critically undermined FSA's ability to support students and families ahead of the new academic year. Borrowers face unanswered calls, delayed responses, and prolonged outages in student aid disbursement systems. Backlogs in Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) buyback have created chaos and confusion for borrowers. Moreover, a recent government watchdog report further exposed serious gaps in the Department's oversight of servicers, leaving borrowers vulnerable to predatory actors.

The Department has also failed to provide robust information on the implementation of sweeping student aid changes in the 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' leaving borrowers and schools without adequate guidance or resources to navigate these changes.

"Given the lack of transparency from FSA and the ongoing attempts to dismantle the Department, we urge a full Committee hearing to examine the impact of the Department's dysfunction and FSA's capacity to implement [the 'Big, Ugly Bill']," wrote Ranking Member Scott and HEWD Ranking Member Adams. "The Committee must assess whether FSA is meeting its obligations to provide students, borrowers, and colleges with timely, accurate, and helpful information."

In accordance with the Committee's oversight responsibility, the Members urged the Chairman to hold a hearing to assess the effect of the Department's dysfunction on students, borrowers, and colleges.

To read the full text of the letter, click here.

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