WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper and 24 of his Senate colleagues introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn a rule by the Trump administration to politicize and destabilize the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

The new rule would allow Education Secretary Linda McMahon to limit eligibility and disqualify certain public service employers, which is a clear attempt to intimidate and punish certain organizations. Once the senators collect 30 signatures from their colleagues in support of their resolution, it can be called up for a vote on the Senate floor. It needs a simple majority to pass.

"Our teachers, nurses, law enforcement officers, and public servants play critical roles in our communities. They count on a promise from our government to help with the cost of their higher education. No matter who's in office, that promise needs to be kept," said Hickenlooper.

"Americans benefit from highly qualified teachers, firefighters, nonprofit hospital staff, social workers, and other critical public servants," said Kaine. "But now the Department of Education wants to turn those incredible people into pawns in the Trump Administration's ridiculous, politically motivated crusades. That's unfair to the millions of Americans who have dedicated their careers to serving their fellow citizens and is a direct threat to the quality of the services our communities rely on. I'm proud to join my colleagues in leading an effort to protect the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program from needless and dangerous politicization."

"Student loan forgiveness should not be ripped away from public servants based on the president's political agenda," said Gillibrand. "Student borrowers who have chosen to serve their communities in the nonprofit or public sector, often for less pay than they could have otherwise earned, are counting on a promise from their government that their loans will ultimately be forgiven. The Trump administration's move to retroactively deny student borrowers this benefit is disgraceful. I urge the Department of Education to focus on lowering costs for the constituents we all serve, not furthering Donald Trump's partisan games."

"Public Service Loan Forgiveness represents a promise we made to Americans who dedicate their careers to serving others," said Booker. "Efforts to weaponize that promise for political purposes or to exclude eligible public servants undermines both the integrity of the program and our commitment to public service."

Congress enacted the PSLF program with strong bipartisan support through legislation that was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The Trump administration's new rule would undermine the intent of the program.

Specifically, the Trump administration's changes would:

• Politicize and destabilize the PSLF program, by allowing Secretary McMahon to limit eligibility based on a nonprofit's mission or perceived ideological alignment, making the program vulnerable to shifting political priorities under any future administration.

• Grant overly broad and subjective discretion to the Department of Education, by permitting disqualification of employers deemed to have a "substantial illegal purpose"-an undefined and subjective standard that invites arbitrary and inconsistent enforcement.

• Target marginalized communities and the nonprofits that serve them.

• Discourage public service careers and weaken the nonprofit workforce.

The legislation is supported by AccessLex Institute, AFL-CIO, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Bar Association (ABA), American Federation of Teachers: Education, Healthcare, Public Services, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), Debt Collective, EdTrust, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Legal Defense Fund, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), National Education Association (NEA), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), NextGen California, Protect Borrowers, PSLF Coalition, SEIU, Student Debt Crisis Center, Student Veterans of America (SVA), The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), The National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), UnidosUS, and Young Invincibles.

A companion resolution has been introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives. Full text of the legislation is available HERE.

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