Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Trump administration blocked consumer watchdog from public service loan forgiveness program: report | TheHill

Trump administration blocked consumer watchdog from public service loan forgiveness program: report | TheHill

Trump administration blocked consumer watchdog from public service loan forgiveness program: report

President Trump's Department of Education reportedly blocked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) efforts to investigate high rejection rates among applicants for a student loan forgiveness program meant to aid firefighters, police officers and other public servants.
NPR reported Tuesday that Education Department officials blocked companies that operate student loan call centers from providing information to the CFPB investigators, effectively ending the bureau's efforts to probe why applicants for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program are denied at such a high rate. The Education Department reports that just about 1 percent of applicants to the program are accepted.
Several sources familiar with the bureau's investigation efforts told NPR that the Education Department's interference directly contributed to the CFPB failing to adequately address issues with the loan forgiveness program.
"It's 100 percent clear that the Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Program is badly broken; it needs to be fixed," Christopher Peterson, a CONTINUE READING: Trump administration blocked consumer watchdog from public service loan forgiveness program: report | TheHill