John,

Congress may consider legislation this week to expand Pell Grants to shorter-term programs, but it would pay for this by undermining Public Service Loan Forgiveness and other important student loan programs.

Click here and tell Congress not to undermine Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

This week, I visited our members and their students at Suffolk County Community College in New York, and it was a reminder of the importance of Pell Grants. More than 40 percent of their college’s students receive these grants that enable them to afford to attend college. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to expand the Pell Grant program. Expanding Pell to more workforce training should not come at the expense of other proven affordability initiatives like PSLF and other student aid.

The AFT has been fighting for more than a decade to make sure that the federal government keeps its promises to deliver debt relief to teachers, nurses and other public service workers across the country. Thanks to our advocacy and the Biden-Harris administration, more than 900,000 public service workers have had over $68 billion forgiven under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, but parts of the program are at risk.

That is why it is important that you tell your member of Congress to oppose legislation that would effectively make it harder to get Public Service Loan Forgiveness and other federal aid and loan repayment plans. Click here and tell Congress not to undermine PSLF.

We want everyone—including students who attended some of this nation’s most prestigious institutions—to consider pursuing careers as teachers, nurses and public employees. That was the purpose of PSLF. And we need more affordability and more education about the affordable repayment plans available to borrowers, so they are not crushed under the weight of their student loan debt.

Let Congress know that, whether it’s in a standalone bill or an amendment to another bill, they should oppose provisions that threaten to undermine PSLF and other affordable student loan repayment plans.

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President