We wanted to invite you to join us on Thursday to call the White House in support of student debt cancellation. We are teaming up with the United State of Women, Black Girls Vote, and others for a national call-in day to push President Biden to use executive action to cancel student debt before federal student loan payments restart on May 1. We have a simple message for President Biden -- he has the authority to cancel student debt with the stroke of a pen. Doing so would benefit millions of Americans, but the impact would be greatest for women who hold two-thirds of America's total student loan debt. Sign up for the Cancel Student Debt national call-in day on Thursday at 12PM ET (9AM PT) to make a huge push. It takes less than 3 minutes to call and no previous advocacy experience is necessary! The reality is we must cancel student debt to truly build back better from the pandemic. The pandemic that has impacted all of us, but disproportionately harmed women and women of color. Failing to take action would be detrimental to our economy as a whole. Student debt makes it impossible for people to own a home, start a family, save up for retirement, or start a new business, all of which are vital to the recovering economy. If you agree, take a few minutes to join us on Thursday. Together, we will call the White House and demand student debt cancellation.

There are so many changes happening for people with student debt – we know it is frustrating. Many of you reached out to us to say you are confused about changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Others are worried about payments resuming in May and don’t know what to do next. We hear you and we want to help. Learn about student loan basics, affordable repayment plans, changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and other updates from advocates at the Student Debt Crisis Center and experts from the social impact startup Savi. Plus, Congressman Mark Takano joins the event for special opening remarks.

February 9, 2022 The Honorable Miguel Cardona United States Department of Education 830 First Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 Dear Secretary Cardona, The undersigned 104 organizations representing students, student loan borrowers, teachers, workers, civil rights, veterans, people of faith, and consumers write to urge you to deliver on the promise of income-driven repayment (IDR) programs for federal student loan borrowers through the creation of an IDR restoration project, or an IDR waiver. When Congress passed the first of the modern income-driven repayment (IDR) plans in 1992, it made a promise to borrowers that federal student loan payments would be affordable, and that even if borrowers were low-income, through eventual cancellation, their student loans would not be a lifetime burden. IDR has failed to deliver on every aspect of that promise. It is time now for the Biden Administration to restore faith in IDR through the creation of an IDR waiver. The Biden Administration recently recognized and took steps to address similar failings in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program by implementing a waiver that would allow the millions of public service workers to finally benefit from the promise of PSLF. While we applaud and celebrate these efforts, we urge the Administration to simultaneously address the parallel failures of the IDR program through a similar waiver. Cancellation under income-driven repayment has been theoretically possible since the first group of borrowers reached twenty years in repayment through the IDR program in 2016. Yet, the most recent data from ED reveals that only 32 IDR borrowers have ever successfully canceled their loans, even though 4.4 million borrowers have been in repayment for 20 years or longer. An internal analysis prepared by the largest student loan servicer, PHEAA, found that of its more than 8.5 million customers, only 48 borrowers would receive debt cancellation under IDR by 2025. Moreover, PHEAA’s internal data projects the number of IDR borrowers receiving debt cancellation will decline by 83 percent between 2022 and 2025. The shockingly low rate of cancellation is emblematic of ED’s failure to deliver the relief Congress intended when it passed the statutes enabling the creation of these IDR programs. While they were intended to ease the burden of student debt on borrowers, IDR plans are notoriously difficult to navigate, both because of the administrative hurdles of the program and rampant servicer misconduct. To receive debt cancellation under IDR, student loan borrowers must enroll in one of the several income-driven repayment options and remain in that plan for decades. To enroll, borrowers must first know about the program, determine which plan suits their needs, submit a litany of paperwork and documentation, and then repeat this process annually for more than two decades. A September 2021 SBPC report, “Driving Into a Dead End: Why IDR Has Failed Millions with Decades-Old Debt” suggests that about half of borrowers using REPAYE—the largest IDR plan—fail to persist in the program on a year-to-year basis. As the recent settlement between 39 states attorneys general and Navient demonstrates,  servicers have consistently engaged in a variety of abusive practices and that servicers make many errors that have long-term negative consequences for borrowers. As a result, many borrowers are unable to meet annual deadlines or simply forego the very plans that could help them repay their loans successfully. As with so many aspects of the student loan system, the failure of IDR disproportionately harms Black borrowers. The Education Trust recently published a study based on a nationwide survey of nearly 1,300 Black borrowers and in-depth interviews with 100 Black borrowers. It found that IDR plans are not easing the student debt crisis for Black borrowers; even default rates remain high, despite the availability of these plans. In short, a program created to help the most vulnerable borrowers has failed to do so on all levels. An IDR waiver is necessary to help rectify past harms done, as student loan borrowers—and, in particular, low-income borrowers and borrowers of color—have been burdened by failures in IDR program administration that created undue financial hardship. An IDR waiver is essential to restore the broken promise of IDR. As more described in the whitepaper by the Student Borrower Protection Center, National Consumer Law Center, and Center for Responsible Lending, and IDR waiver should: On a retroactive basis, count all months since the borrower entered repayment following their grace period as qualifying months towards loan forgiveness, regardless of which repayment plan the borrower was in, whether they were in forbearance, and whether they were in default. Provide relief automatically. All of the data that the Department of Education needs in order to implement the IDR Waiver is readily available through NSLDS. Borrowers should not need to affirmatively apply for this relief Ensure that all federal loan borrowers, regardless of loan program, have access to the IDR Waiver. While FFEL and Perkins loans borrowers could be eligible for IDR, so many borrowers were not properly advised and so have failed to benefit. The IDR waiver must apply to these borrowers who have been left behind. We appreciate your careful consideration of these comments and look forward to further discussion with you. Please feel free to contact Persis Yu at persis@protectborrowers.org for any future follow up. Sincerely, Student Borrower Protection Center Center for Responsible Lending National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients) 1000 Women Strong Accountable.US African American Ministers In Action Alaska PIRG Albuquerque Mennonite Church American Association of University Professors (AAUP) American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) American Federation of Teachers (AFT) American Library Association Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Association of Young Americans (AYA) Autistic Self Advocacy Network Center for Economic Integrity Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR) CFPB Union NTEU 335 Clearinghouse on Women's Issues Coalition on Human Needs Community Legal Services of Philadelphia Community Service Society of New York Consumer Action Consumer Federation of America Consumer Federation of California Consumer Reports Council on Social Work Education Debt-Free MD, Inc. (Maryland) Dr. N. Joyce Payne Center for Social Justice Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) Empire Justice Center Equal Justice Works Fosterus Hildreth Institute Hip Hop Caucus Hispanic Federation Housing and Economic Rights Advocates International Brotherhood of Teamsters International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Jobs With Justice Legal Action Chicago Loan Repayment Assistance Program of Minnesota Louisiana Budget Project Maine Center for Economic Policy Media Voices Mississippi Association of Educators Mobilization for Justice National Association of Consumer Advocates National Association of Graduate Professional Students (NAGPS) National Association of School Psychologists National Association of Social Workers National Association of Social Workers – Connecticut Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Maine Chapter National Association of Social Workers – New Hampshire Chapter National Association of Social Workers – New Jersey Chapter National Association of Social Workers – New Mexico Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Ohio Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Oklahoma Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Pennsylvania Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Texas Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Vermont Chapters National Association of Social Workers – West Virginia Chapter National Education Association (NEA) National Urban League National Young Farmers Coalition NAVIGATE STUDENT LOANS New Era Colorado New Jersey Citizen Action New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) NextGen California Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU), IFPTE Local 70 NTEU Independent Staff Union OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates Ohio Student Association Partnership for College Completion People's Parity Project Physician Assistant Education Association Project on Predatory Student Lending Public Citizen Public Counsel Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM) Public Justice Center Public Law Center SEIU Local 500 SEIU Local 509 Student Debt Crisis Center Student Public Interest Research Groups Student Veterans of America The Collaborative of NC The Education Trust The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) Tzedek DC UnidosUS University of California Graduate & Professional Council UnKoch My Campus URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity Virginia Poverty Law Center Women Employed Young Invincibles Zero Debt Massachusetts

February 3, 2022 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Minority Leader U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Chuck Schumer Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable Mitch McConnell Minority Leader United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McConnell, and Leader McCarthy: As you work toward a spending agreement for fiscal year 2022, the undersigned organizations urge you to invest in our nation’s students by doubling the maximum Pell Grant award and protecting the longterm viability of the Pell Grant program. To meet this critical goal, we urge you to pursue all available means, including appropriations and other spending measures. Pell Grants are the foundation of our national investment in higher education. Each year, they allow more than seven million low- and middle-income students — including nearly 60 percent of Black undergraduates and almost half of Latino undergraduates — to attend and complete college. The share of college costs covered by the Pell Grant is at an all-time low. Nearly 50 years ago, the maximum grant was worth more than three-quarters of the cost of attending a four-year public college. after decades of state budget cuts that drove up tuition, Pell Grants now cover less than one-third of those costs. Furthermore, household incomes were flat over the same period. Pell Grant recipients today are more than twice as likely as other students to have student loans and recipients who borrow graduate with over $4,500 more debt than their higher income peers. Doubling the Pell Grant would significantly reduce or eliminate low-income students’ need to borrow. In a climate where political parties, candidates, and even neighbors have difficulty finding common ground, a recent national survey of registered voters showed strong bipartisan support for investing in the Pell Grant program, with 75 percent explicitly supporting doubling the maximum award. A postsecondary credential or degree is an increasingly necessary gateway to economic opportunity, and a strong Pell Grant is critical to ensuring that students from all financial backgrounds can participate and grow a strong, diverse economy. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter. Sincerely, 10,000 Degrees 1000 Women Strong Academic Success Program Dallas Achieve Atlanta ACPA-College Student Educators International Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Alabama Possible American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers American Association of Community Colleges American Association of State Colleges and Universities American Association of University Professors American Council on Education American Federation of Teachers American Indian Higher Education Consortium American Psychological Association APIA Scholars APPA, “Leadership in Educational Facilities” Asociación de Colegios y Universidades Privadas de Puerto Rico (ACUP) and universities of puerto rico>and universities of puerto rico> Association for Biblical Higher Education Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools Association of American Universities Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities Association of Independent Colleges & Universities in Massachusetts Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Pennsylvania (AICUP) Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Rhode Island Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Association of Presbyterian Colleges & Universities Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions Association of Young Americans (AYA) Bold Thought Partners, LLC Bottom Line Breakthrough Central Texas California EDGE Coalition California Student Aid Commission Capital Area College Access Network, Lansing, MI Capital Region Sponsor-A-Scholar CCCU - Council for Christian Colleges & Universities Center for American Progress Center for First-generation Student Success Chiefs for Change COHEAO College Advising Corps College Beyond College Bound - St. Louis College Horizons, Inc. College Now Greater Cleveland College Success Foundation CollegeBound Foundation CollegeTracks Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities Common App & Reach Higher Community Bridges, Inc. Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area Consumer Action Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) Council for Opportunity in Education Council of Independent Colleges Council of Independent Nebraska Colleges Foundation Council on Social Work Education Denver Scholarship Foundation Detroit College Access Network Dr. Doretha Pressey Southern Scholars Initiative, Inc. Education Forward Arizona EDUCAUSE EduDreamer Excelencia in Education Florida College Access Network Generation Progress Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Goddard Riverside, Options Center GRASP (Great Aspirations Scholarship Program) Grind To Grad Higher Education Loan Coalition Higher Heights Youth Empowerment Programs, Inc. Higher Learning Advocates Higher Learning Commission Higher Level Educational Consulting, Inc. Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities ICUF (Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida) Independent Colleges of Indiana Independent Colleges of Washington Indigenous Education, Inc. Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) John Burton Advocates for Youth Kansas Independent College Association Kid City Hope Place KIPP Public Schools Latino U College Access (LUCA) LeadMN -- College Students Connecting For Change Learn to Earn Dayton, Inc. Let's Get Ready Los Angeles United Methodist Urban Foundation Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA) Mastery Charter Schools Michigan Association for College Admission Counseling Michigan League for Public Policy Middle States Commission on Higher Education Mid-Eastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel Minnesota Private College Council More Than Bootstraps Muskegon Opportunity College Access Network, Muskegon, MI NAACP National Association for College Admission Counseling National Association of College and University Business Officers National Association of Graduate-Professional Students National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators National College Attainment Network (NCAN) National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of our low-income clients) National Down Syndrome Congress National Education Association National Young Farmers Coalition New America Higher Education Program New American Colleges and Universities New England Association for College Admission Counseling New England Commission of Higher Education New York Public Interest Research Group Noble Schools North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Northern California College Promise Coalition Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Ohio Student Association On Point for College OneGoal Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities Partners for Education at Berea College Partnership for Los Angeles Schools Partnership for the Future Path to College Tennessee PeerForward Peninsula Bridge Penn AHEAD Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling Phi Beta Kappa Society Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Philadelphia College Prep Roundtable Philanthropy Ohio Phoenix Pact Project GRAD Akron Puget Sound College & Career Network - Puget Sound Educational Service District Reach Higher Montana Rocky Mountain Association for College Admission Counseling SACSCOC Scholarship America South Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities Southeast Asia Resource Action Center Stand by Me NexGen Delaware State Higher Education Executive Officers Association Student Debt Crisis Center Student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) Student Veterans of America Students United Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Assoc. The Century Foundation The Coalition of State University Aid Administrators The Education Trust The Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) The Opportunity Network The Peninsula College Fund Third Way TN College Access and Success Network Toledo Tomorrow uAspire UNCF (United Negro College Fund) UnidosUS UNITE-LA University of California Graduate & Professional Council WASC Senior College and University Commission West Virginia Independent Colleges & Universities Western Association for College Admission Counseling Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Women Employed Woodward Hines Education Foundation Work Colleges Consortium Worthington Scholarship Foundation Yes We Must Coalition Young Invincibles cc: The Honorable Patty Murray The Honorable Richard Burr The Honorable Patrick Leahy The Honorable Richard Shelby The Honorable Roy Blunt The Honorable Bobby Scott The Honorable Virginia Foxx The Honorable Rosa DeLauro The Honorable Kay Granger The Honorable Tom Cole

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 25, 2022 Advocates Host Cancel Student Debt Town Hall Featuring Senator Schumer, Senator Warren and Rep. Pressley “100 Days to Cancel Student Debt” Town Hall is part of renewed push for debt cancellation before the student loan payment pause expires in May Student Debt Crisis Center, NextGen America, Public Citizen and MoveOn will host a virtual town hall on January 27 to showcase strong support of broad-based student debt cancellation. The “100 Days to Cancel Student Debt” event will include remarks from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and feature messages from several congressional lawmakers as well as Americans deeply affected by the student debt crisis. The town hall follows President Biden’s recent action extending the pause on federal student loan payments until May 1, and will call on the president to finally fulfill his campaign promise to cancel student debt for millions of Americans. NextGen is committed to working with lawmakers, advocates and everyday people to enact broad cancellation of student debt – $50,000 per borrower – and will continue that work until the president responds with an executive order providing relief to over 40 million borrowers. “Millions of young Americans are drowning in debt and holding off on starting families, purchasing a home or business. This is a crisis that is crushing the dreams of millions of Americans, but it can be solved,” NextGen America President Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez said. “President Biden has the power to cancel $1.2 trillion of student debt and with the power of his pen he could give a huge boost to our economy and give millions of Americans the ability to start living their dreams. Student debt borrowers could start putting thousands of dollars into purchasing a home, starting a business or spending and growing the economy. Millions of Americans support canceling student debt because it makes good economic sense,” Tzintzún Ramirez said.”It ensures we build a strong economy by investing in our greatest asset: American young people.” “Canceling student debt will be a lifeline to millions of borrowers who are constrained by the weight of student debt,” said Remington A. Gregg, Counsel for Civil Justice and Consumer Rights at Public Citizen. “It will also benefit the economy and begin the hard work of closing the racial wealth gap. That’s why Public Citizen is in this fight, and why we’ll continue to advocate for President Biden to use his executive authority to cancel student debt.” “As America continues to face the economic and health crisis caused by the pandemic, we must demand that our political leaders meet the moment with bold solutions. President Biden has the legal authority to cancel student debt for millions of Americans — and he must use it — to respond to this unprecedented moment,” said Student Debt Crisis President and Founder Natalia Abrams. “Canceling student debt is the most powerful way to boost the recovering economy, support families struggling to get back on their feet, and address persistent racial equity issues. We are proud to stand with lawmakers, advocates, and everyday Americans in calling on the President to take this action now.”"Millions of students across the country are buried under trillions of dollars in student debt—and a disproportionate amount of that debt is held by communities of color and low wage workers. As tuition costs rise and wages stagnate, many Americans now face a lifetime of debt for pursuing a higher education,” said MoveOn executive director Rahna Epting. “The Biden administration did the right thing by extending the moratorium on debt repayments a few weeks ago—now, we join with Sens. Schumer and Warren, and Rep. Pressley, by calling on President Biden to take immediate and decisive action on debt cancellation." Thursday’s town hall marks the culmination of several weeks of heightened student loan debt advocacy from NextGen, including gathering petition signatures, leading online information sessions and workshops and organizing social media organizing bootcamps. NextGen has played a key role in advocating for student debt cancellation in recent years. In addition to making millions of calls and texts to young voters, NextGen has helped over 12,250 borrowers send letters to President Biden sharing their personal stories and emphasizing the need for debt cancellation. The town hall will be livestreamed on YouTube at this link beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 27. ###

You are invited to join the Cancel Student Debt Town Hall online with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and other lawmakers. We are mobilizing a new effort to demand President Biden cancel student debt before payments restart for millions of people on May 1. With less than 100 days left, now is the time to get involved. We have secured over 86 lawmakers in the Senate and the House that support up to $50,000 of student debt cancellation, we pressured the administration to extend pandemic relief, and now we are organizing lawmakers, activists, and everyday Americans to fight for permanent, broad-based debt cancellation for everyone.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01/13/2021 CONTACT: Brendan Rooks 646-820-8037 brendan@studentdebtcrisis.org Statement: Navient settlement erases $1.7 billion in private student loans, advocates urge Biden to cancel debt for all Today, student loan servicing company Navient settled multiple state lawsuits with an agreement to cancel $1.7 billion in private student loan debt for 66,000 people with private student loans. While the deal holds the company to account for years of abusive business practices, it falls far short of comprehensive, serious relief for millions more with federal student loans whose lives were destroyed by the company. To put an end to the pain and suffering that student loan companies inflict, and to fully address the wounds caused by America’s broken student loan system, President Biden must cancel student debt immediately by executive action. “We are thrilled for the thousands of private student loan borrowers who will receive justice in the form of student debt cancellation with this settlement. For them, this is a clear victory. However, we are frustrated that federal student loan borrowers are left crushed by debt despite Navient’s obvious track record of abuse,” said Cody Hounanian, executive director of the Student Debt Crisis Center.“Navient's illegal behavior is not the exception, it is the rule. For decades private student loan companies shamelessly preyed on low-income borrowers, disabled veterans, seniors, and other vulnerable communities to expand their profits. The predatory student loan industry’s actions harmed a generation's hopes of a better future, widened the racial wealth gap, and stole the American dream in exchange for profits. Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, but more must be done.”

The Biden Administration extended relief for federal student loan borrowers whose payments and interest have been paused during the pandemic. The extension is set to last until at least May, 2022 The welcomed news follows months of resistance from the administration which had caused confusion, uncertainty, and fear for millions of Americans facing a financial cliff if payments resumed. Extending pandemic relief for student loan borrowers avoids certain disaster for many families. A recent Student Debt Crisis Center survey of 33,000 people found that 9 in 10 are not financially secure enough to resume payments. Further, one in four borrowers says that a third of their income will go towards student loans if payments resume. Extending the pause gives families support they depend on as the Omicron variant sweeps across the country and record-breaking inflation makes basic needs, like food and shelter, unaffordable. “The Omicron variant is a scary reminder that the pandemic is still a serious concern and Americans cannot be crushed by student debt as they shoulder this health and economic crisis. The Biden Administration must recognize the urgency of the situation and is use the tools available to the President to offer relief,” said Natalia Abrams, President of the Student Debt Crisis Center. “We applaud President Biden for extending the pause and ask him to also deliver on the promise to cancel student debt for everyone as part of his COVID-19 emergency response. "Last week, 39,000 SDCC supporters sent letters to the White House calling for the Biden Administration to extend pandemic relief. We full-heartedly believe that today’s news is a direct result of these actions and we will continue to amplify the voices of everyday Americans impacted by student debt to create real change,” said Cody Hounanian, Executive Director of the Student Debt Crisis Center.

President Joseph R. Biden The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 December 8, 2021 Dear Mr. President: In fewer than 60 days, tens of millions of student loan borrowers are slated to be thrown back into repayment on federal student loans they are ill-equipped to pay as the deadly COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate Americans’ health and financial security. We, the undersigned 207 organizations, write to urge you to put a stop this crisis in the making before it begins and extend the current pause on student loan payments. It is clear that payments should not resume until your administration has fully delivered on the promises you made to student loan borrowers to fix the broken student loan system and cancel federal student debt. The U.S. Department of Education (“the Department”) holds nearly $1.6 trillion in federal student loans and more than 45 million individual borrowers live in the shadow of that massive debt. Payments on most of these loans have been paused since March 2020, during which time interest charges have also been suspended and the federal government has halted collection efforts against most borrowers in default. The Department’s own data reveal the powerful impact this payment pause has had on Americans’ lives, finding that “borrowers are saving approximately $5 billion per month from the temporary 0% interest rate.” For the first time, millions of student loan borrowers find themselves with the financial resources they need to make ends meet each month, pay down other debts, save for down payments on homes, or plan for retirement. The student loan payment pause has been one of the most important investments the federal government has made in Americans' financial lives in a generation. Before the pandemic struck, tens of millions of borrowers struggled every day to navigate a badly broken student loan system. America’s student debt crisis wreaked havoc on the financial lives of families across the country, despite payment relief and debt forgiveness programs that promised that these debts would never be a life-long burden. You ran for president on the promise that you would reform the student loan system to ensure that student loan payments would be affordable for all. Your administration’s decision to extend the payment pause, alongside the Department’s recent overhaul of the programs for Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Total and Permanent Disability Discharge are critical and welcome first steps. Right now, your administration has the opportunity to continue repairing the damage caused by policy failures at the federal and state level and decades of government mismanagement and industry abuses—an opportunity and an obligation that must be fulfilled before any action is taken to resume monthly student loan payments. It is critical that your administration continue to deliver on your promises made to student loan borrowers and their families before ending the pause in payments and collections. Borrowers need immediate relief from the crushing burdens of massive student loan debt as the pandemic exacerbates financial strain for all Americans and throws existing racial disparities in wealth and educational attainment into especially stark relief. The burden of student debt and the costs of our broken student loan system fall disproportionately on Black and Brown borrowers—those who, as a result of decades of racially discriminatory policies and practices that created and sustain the racial wealth and income gaps, most often lack the familial wealth necessary to avoid taking on student debt. A growing body of evidence also demonstrates that these borrowers are disproportionately blocked from accessing existing avenues for debt relief enacted by Congress. Each day, we are met with new evidence that the student loan system is unable to meet the needs of student loan borrowers and our country. As 2021 draws to a close, we would like to remind you of a few of this year’s examples of that failure: The National Consumer Law Center received data through FOIA showing that, as of January 2021, only 32 borrowers had successfully navigated the IDR repayment plans and received cancellation, out of more than 4 million with decades-old debts. The Education Department acknowledged a backlog of 175,000 applications for Public Service Loan Forgiveness—borrowers who may be forced to pay a student loan bill as they remain stuck in the government’s red tape. The recent announcement of the limited and temporary PSLF waiver does offer a new path to relief for some borrowers, but inconsistent servicer implementation of the new rules threatens its promise. The Education Department also acknowledged a backlog of more than 128,000 applications for Borrower Defense discharges—the number of unprocessed claims for debt relief due to fraud by a school have climbed by more than 20,000 during the first months of the Biden administration. These are just a few recent examples of how the student loan system is failing borrowers entitled to immediate debt relief under the law. The prospect of a hasty and reckless return to repayment should be cause for alarm. That is because the companies responsible for managing this transition and the system itself have repeatedly proven unable to avoid widespread failures even when performing basic functions. For example, in two separate scandals at the height of the pandemic, the Education Department and its student loan contractors improperly garnished the wages of hundreds of thousands of people and damaged the credit reports of nearly five million others. There is a broad consensus among borrowers, advocates, industry, regulators, enforcement officials, and lawmakers that a rush to resume student loan payments is a recipe for disaster and will result in widespread confusion and distress for student loan borrowers. Before resuming payments on student loans, the Department of Education must undertake significant structural reforms; provide real, immediate relief; and cancel a significant amount of federal student debt. This will ensure that millions of borrowers don’t remain trapped in a broken system just as the economy begins to recover. For the reasons outlined above, we strongly urge you to take immediate action to extend the current pause on student loan payments. We look forward to supporting your administration as you take this necessary action and work to deliver on the promises made to student loan borrowers across the country. Sincerely, Student Borrower Protection Center Adasina Social Capital Affordable Homeownership Foundation, Inc. African American Ministers In Action Alaska PIRG Albuquerque Mennonite Church Alliance for Youth Action American Association of University Professors American Baptist Home Mission Society American Civil Liberties Union American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) American Federation of Teachers American Federation of Teachers – Vermont American Psychological Association Americans for Financial Reform Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Association of Oncology Social Work Association of Young Americans (AYA) Bend the Arc: Jewish Action Blue Future California Alliance for Consumer Education (CACE) California Asset Building Coalition California Association of Nonprofits Californians for Economic Justice CAMEO - California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity Campaign for America's Future Campus Action for Democracy Carolina Jews for Justice Center for Economic Integrity Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR) Center for Responsible Lending Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy Chicago Consumer Coalition Chicago Foundation for Women Civil Service Bar Association Columbia Consumer Education Council Communities for Our Colleges, WA Community Service Society of New York Consumer Federation of America Consumer Federation of California Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety Council on Social Work Education Debt Collective Debt-Free MD, Inc. (Maryland) Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) Faith in Action Forward Montana Fossil Fuel Divest Harvard Fosterus Franciscan Action Network Fresno Building Healthy Communities Generation Hope Greenpeace USA HBCU Collective HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance Hildreth Institute Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University Housing and Economic Rights Advocates Indivisible Investor Advocates for Social Justice Jain Family Institute (JFI) JANUS LLC Kentucky Center for Economic Policy Land For Good League of United Latin American Citizens Legal Action Chicago Legal Aid at Work Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee Louisiana Budget Project Maine Center for Economic Policy Mainers for Accountable Leadership Action Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance Media Voices for Children Minority Veterans of America Mississippi Center for Justice Mobilization for Justice NAACP, Youth & College National Action Network National Association of Consumer Advocates National Association of Graduate-Professional Students National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners National Association of Social Workers National Association of Social Workers – Alabama Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Alaska Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Arizona Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Arkansas Chapter National Association of Social Workers – California Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Colorado Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Connecticut Chapter National Association of Social Workers – DC Metro Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Delaware Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Florida Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Georgia Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Guam Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Hawai’i Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Idaho Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Illinois Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Indiana Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Iowa Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Kentucky Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Louisiana Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Maine Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Maryland Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Massachusetts Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Michigan Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Mississippi Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Missouri Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Montana Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Nebraska Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Nevada Chapter National Association of Social Workers – New Hampshire Chapter National Association of Social Workers – New Jersey Chapter National Association of Social Workers – New Mexico Chapter National Association of Social Workers – New York City Chapter National Association of Social Workers – New York State Chapter National Association of Social Workers – North Carolina Chapter National Association of Social Workers – North Dakota Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Ohio Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Oklahoma Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Oregon Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Pennsylvania Chapter National Association of Social Workers – South Carolina Chapter National Association of Social Workers – South Dakota Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Texas Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Tennessee Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Utah Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Vermont Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Virginia Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Washington Chapter National Association of Social Workers – West Virginia Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Wisconsin Chapter National Association of Social Workers – Wyoming Chapter National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients) National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) National Education Association National Equality Action Team (NEAT) National League for Nursing National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) Chapter 335 National Young Farmers Coalition Navigate Student Loans New Era Colorado New Hampshire Youth Movement New Jersey Citizen Action New Mexico Crisis and Access Line New York Legal Assistance Group New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) New Yorkers for Responsible Lending Coalition NextGen California Nonprofit Professional Employees Union, IFPTE Local 70 North Carolina Coalition for Responsible Lending OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates Ohio Student Association Our Revolution PAPSA ParentsTogether Partnership for College Completion People's Parity Project Physician Assistant Education Association Progressive Change Campaign Committee Protect All Children's Environment Public Citizen Public Counsel Public Good Law Center Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM) Public Justice Center Public Law Center Rachel Carson Council Rise Saint Paul's Baptist Church San Francisco Office of Financial Empowerment Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Service Employees International Union Local 500 Service Employees International Union Local 509 Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia Southern Echo Inc. SparkAction State of New Mexico Student Action Student Debt Crisis Center (SDCC) TEHope The Arc of the United States The Collaborative The Education Trust The Forum for Youth Investment THE ONE LESS FOUNDATION The United Church of Christ & The United Church of Canada Tzedek DC UnidosUS United Church of Christ, Justice and Local Church Ministries United Vision for Idaho United Way Bay Area Unity Fellowship of Christ Church University of California Graduate & Professional Council University of California Student Association UnKoch My Campus URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity VOCAL-NY Voices for Progress We, the 45 Million Whitman-Walker Health Women Employed Young Invincibles Zero Debt Massachusetts

New survey shows borrowers are aware, but not financially prepared, for student loan payments to resume Americans are back to work in a recovering economy, but 89% of full-time employed student loan borrowers say they’re not financially secure enough to begin making payments after Feb 1. Student Debt Crisis Center (SDCC), the nation’s largest student debt advocacy organization, and Savi, a social impact technology company working to help solve the crisis, recently completed a nationwide survey of 33,703 student loan borrowers. The survey is the fourth installment of the Student Debt x COVID-19 series looking at the impact the pandemic continues to have on student loan borrowers. In short, borrowers are living through an unprecedented economic time period. Even though over 68% of respondents are fully employed, nine-out-of-ten student loan borrowers are not ready to resume payments in February. Respondents of this survey say that student loan payments will eat a large portion of their income and prevent them from affording other bills like rent, car loans and medicine. These findings are doubly concerning within the context of the nation’s rising inflation and cost of living. Among fully-employed student loan borrowers, 89% say they are not financially secure enough to resume payments on February 1. One-in-five say (21%) they will never be financially secure enough to resume payments again. More than half (57%) of borrowers surveyed were notified about payments resuming on February 1 by their loan servicer and one-third (33%) heard this news directly from the Department of Education. These are significant increases compared to the last survey in June that showed only 30% and 22% had heard from their servicer and the Department respectively. Over a quarter (27%) of respondents say that one-third of their income or more will go toward student loans when payments resume in February. One-in-ten say that half of their income will go toward student loan payments. 88% of respondents say that COVID-19 relief for federal student loans was critical to their financial well-being during the pandemic. 87% say that COVID-19 student loan relief made it possible to afford other bills during the pandemic. Even as the economy returns, 44% of fully-employed student loan borrowers said they cannot afford their monthly student loan payments or are in loan default. As the Department of Education continues the rollout of the PSLF waiver, one-third (36%) of 501(c)(3) and nonprofit employees said they were not aware of recent changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that makes it easier to receive forgiveness. 45% of respondents say their financial wellness is currently poor or very poor while only 25% said that was the case prior to the pandemic. “Our newest Student Debt x COVID-19 survey proves that student loan borrowers face economic obstacles that are larger and longer-lasting than we imagined. As the economy recovers, even fully-employed student loan borrowers are not financially secure enough to make payments again. Simply put, Americans with student debt aren’t facing an employment crisis, they are facing a student debt crisis,” said Natalia Abrams, President and Founder of Student Debt Crisis Center. “When the payment pause ends on February 1, borrowers will have the rug pulled out from under them as they work to get back on their feet. We are especially concerned that the burden of loan payments will collide with other changes in the economy. Economists warn of rising inflation and costs and our survey finds that many borrowers will see over one-third of their income go to student loans when payments resume.” “Most borrowers now know that student loan payments are resuming in just a few months, but they are not prepared,” said Aaron Smith, co-founder of Savi. “It will be almost two years since most borrowers last made a student loan payment- that’s billions of dollars in payments each month that will have to restart. This survey shows that many borrowers will feel significant financial strain when payments resume and have benefited from the pause. It is an unprecedented situation and we expect a huge surge of borrowers needing help to manage that return to repayment.” Borrowers seeking help with their student loan debt can find a list of trusted resources here. The survey received 33,703 responses from people in all 50 states between November 1 and November 14, 2021. The 44-question survey was distributed via email to a group of Student Debt Crisis Center followers that includes approximately 2 million people. Findings can be broken down by demographic, geographic, occupational and socioeconomic statuses upon request.

October 28, 2021 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. President of the United States The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: We, the undersigned 105 organizations, write to you with greater urgency to cancel student debt and, until that happens, continue the payment pause that has been a lifeline to millions. At the outset, in the interest of transparency and accountability, we urge you to release the memorandum laying out the legal analysis on whether you have the authority to cancel student debt as soon as you receive it.1 We believe that you do have the legal authority to cancel student debt and that the memorandum will confirm that analysis.2 We would also like to remind you how dire the student debt crisis is in our country. Almost 45 million people hold more than $1.8 trillion of student debt. That number will soon rise to $2 trillion. Over the last 20 years, an entire generation of students were told that the best way to climb the economic ladder in an ever-changing competitive world was to go to college, and that student loans were a “good debt” product that could help them attain that education. However, the price of college has risen exponentially while wages have remained stagnant, and an entire generation spent their formative years fighting to keep up in the midst of two recessions and a pandemic. “Among college graduates the average student debt was $12,750 in 1996 and has more than doubled to almost $30,000 just 20 years later.”3 Canceling student debt isn’t just an opportunity to realize the full promise that higher education can provide by allowing each person to build wealth for themselves and their families, but will also be a down payment towards fixing the broken higher education system. Broad-based debt cancellation remains the best way to tackle the built-up problems that have caused the student debt crisis. It was also the approach you endorsed during the campaign.4 In addition, canceling student debt would work to address longstanding issues of systemic inequality that have left Black and Brown borrowers with more debt and less wealth, as well as stimulate the economy in ways that would benefit the entire country. Cancelling student debt would grow the economy and allow borrowers to begin much needed asset building. A recent report by the National Association of Realtors, the nation’s largest association of real estate agents, found that “pproximately half of student loan debt holders say their debt has impacted their life choices Over one quarter of student loan debt holders say their debt has impacted their decision or their ability to purchase a home (29%), take a vacation (35%), or purchase a car (31%).”5 And 14% of student debt holders said that student debt has delayed their decision to begin a family.6 The U.S. Department of Education’s own data finds that “borrowers are saving approximately $5 billion per month from the temporary 0% interest rate.”7 It is no surprise, then, that canceling student debt would lead to “consumer driven economic stimulus, improved credit scores, greater home-buying rates and housing stability, higher college completion rates, and greater business formation.”8 Indeed, research indicates that canceling student debt would increase the gross domestic product and create 1.2-1.5 million jobs per year.9 Moreover, student debt cancellation would allow working people to begin saving in earnest. Bloomberg reported that “Millennials are running out of time to build wealth.”10 The nation as a whole isn’t doing much better. Many people in this country are just one emergency away from financial strain or ruin, which was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the financial website Bankrate, more than half (51%) of Americans surveyed this year said they did not have three months’ worth of savings for an emergency, and one in four (25%) responded they did not have one months’ worth of savings. That latter number increased from closer to one in five (21%) the previous year.11 Moreover, “trends on saving behavior amid the quasi-experiment of the CARES Act payment freeze provide new evidence that student debt burdens represent a substantial impediment to asset building.”12 Student debt cancellation would begin the long overdue work of addressing systemic racism that contributes to massive wealth inequality for Black and Brown people in America. Historically, access to higher education has been dramatically unequal. “This pattern persists today as African American and Latino students struggle to fund their college experiences due to the effects of compounding wealth and educational inequities rooted in discrimination.”13 Canceling student debt would be a lifeline for millions, but in particular for Black borrowers who have not benefited as much from the promise that a degree brings.14 As a result of historic and ongoing systemic racism, discrimination in the job market, lower wages, and other factors that contribute to wealth inequality, Black borrowers experience more negative financial events including loan default, higher interest payments, and higher graduate school debt.15 Black borrowers hold almost twice the amount of debt four years after graduation16 and default on their loans at nearly double the rate as white borrowers.17 And the most shocking statistic: Twenty years after starting college, the median white borrower has paid off 94% of their debt while the median Black borrower still owes 95% of their debt.18 And women hold two-thirds of the country’s student debt and on average borrow $3,000 more than men to attend college — yet because of the wealth and wage gap, women find it harder to repay their loans. The burden is heaviest on Black women.19 According to a report released by the Roosevelt Institute, “Contrary to common misperceptions, careful analysis of household wealth data shows that student debt cancellation—at all proposed levels—is progressive; it would provide more benefits to those with fewer economic resources and could play a critical role in addressing the racial wealth gap and building the Black middle class.”20 The Wall Street Journal reported this summer that “the median net worth for Black households with a college degree in their 30s has fallen to $8,200 from $50,400 three decades ago Over the same period, their white peers saw their median net worth grow 17% to $138,000.”21 We are running out of time to correct the massive wealth inequality that excludes Black borrowers from the middle class and makes it impossible for them to catch up to their white peers. And at a time when home ownership for Black people is the lowest it has been since the Fair Housing Act was enacted in 1968,22 canceling student debt would unleash a new middle class among everyday working people, which you have continued to call the backbone of America.23 You won’t erase all issues related to racial wealth inequality for all Black and Brown people by canceling student debt, but it would be a significant start. Operational challenges make anything less than broad-based cancellation impracticable to implement. Broad-based debt cancellation remains the best way to tackle the systemic problems that have caused the student debt crisis. Attempts to distinguish borrowers who need or deserve student loan relief from those who do not are fraught, ignore the systemic and universal flaws in our system of debt-based higher education financing, and inevitably leave out many borrowers in need of relief. An income-based means-testing regime, for instance, will direct relief to borrowers based only on a short-term snapshot of a borrower’s finances that does not take longstanding disparities related to the racial wealth gap into account. Furthermore, income data such as annual tax records may be out-of-date due to the volatility in the labor market caused by the pandemic, which has hit Black and Latino households the hardest. Moreover, basic operational issues related to so-called means-testing would make targeted relief difficult to implement. At the outset, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department or ED) lacks access to most borrowers’ income information, such as IRS data that would be necessary to decide if a borrower qualifies. Obtaining such information would require the borrower’s consent, filling out forms, and creating barriers to obtaining relief. Inevitably, the borrowers who are the most vulnerable and distressed—including borrowers without a stable address or access to email, limited English proficiency speakers, and individuals who have lost trust in the student loan system—would be left out due to such barriers. Implementation of a targeted benefit is unlikely to be successful given the history of servicing errors at ED. A long history of pervasive and significant servicer errors has eroded public trust that the student loan servicers that manage the vastly complicated system prioritize borrowers’ financial wellbeing. Litigation against the Department’s contracted student loan servicers offer evidence to support this view. Since 2017 alone, eight state attorneys general and the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have filed lawsuits against the Department’s two largest servicers alleging schemes to deny borrowers the benefits of income-driven repayment (IDR) and other consumer protections, such as engaging in “shortcuts and deception.”24 As a result of these alleged widespread abuses, millions of student loan borrowers have been unable to, or failed to, make significant progress toward debt cancellation. In addition, the requirement that borrowers individually apply for relief through ED’s targeted cancellation programs—such as IDR, borrower defense, disability discharge, and closed school discharge—leaves out in the cold many who are entitled to relief, including those who are most distressed. Furthermore, recent investigations indicate that the IDR program alone cannot deliver debt relief to low-income borrowers. New evidence shows that the promise of debt cancellation for those borrowers is broken—more than 4.4 million student loan borrowers owe decades-old debts.25 At the same time, data released by the National Consumer Law Center shows that of the approximately two million people who have been in repayment for 20 years (and are thus eligible for cancellation), only 32 borrowers have ever successfully had their debts cancelled under IDR.26 And this failure is not merely temporary. Internal student loan industry records show that debt cancellation under IDR will remain illusory for years into the future.27 In effect, none of ED’s existing discharge options, as currently constructed, are viable substitutes for broad-based debt cancellation. Instead, this history serves as a stark warning to the Department that the current administratively burdensome and highly technical system of targeting cannot be relied upon to act as an effective safety valve for those experiencing long- term financial hardship. Broad-based debt cancellation is the fastest and administratively simplest way to deliver justice to these borrowers. It is also the best path forward that does not rely on the same student loan companies accused of cheating borrowers and providing advice that better served the company than the borrower. Universal student debt cancellation would most help those with the least wealth. Information in the public sphere continues to misrepresent just how transformational student debt cancellation would be for the entire country. First, canceling student debt would benefit those who need it the most. Families on the higher end of the wealth scale often do not take out student loans to pay for college. And, when they do, they often take out private student loans—which you do not have the authority under the law to cancel. The Roosevelt Institute report noted that: rior studies have treated total student debt holdings as synonymous with debt that could be cancelled. Because private loans are held disproportionately by higher-income and higher-asset borrowers (private loans constitute 23 percent of student debt for those in the top 30 percent of the household asset distribution, versus 12 percent of student debt for those in the bottom 30 percent), properly accounting for private loans reveals a more progressive picture of leading proposals for student debt cancellation.28 Moreover, “ebt cancellation leads to the highest reductions in the debt-to-income ratio for people with the lowest incomes. As household income increases, the reduction in the debt-to income ratio decreases.”29 In short, student debt cancellation would help the people who need it the most and lead to a significant decline in the debt-to-income ratio that keeps so many people out of the middle class. Indeed, data provided by the Department shows this clearly. Canceling up to $50,000 in student debt would provide transformational relief to about 80% of those with student debt, including a sizeable number who cannot pay back their loans.30 As the White House has indicated, only three out of five students complete their degree in six years.31 It is no surprise, then, that nearly 40% of those with student loan debt have not graduated, and that those students are about three times as likely to default on their student loans as those who do graduate.32 Canceling student debt would ensure we are not punishing those who ultimately could not finish their education with years of default, bad credit, and personal stigma. Cancelling debt before the end of the payment pause would protect families’ Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit payments. Cancelling student debt now, before payments resume, is critical to support American families and the Build Back Better agenda. Families across America have (or will) receive thousands of dollars in cash relief, paid out through their tax refunds, that will lift millions of children out of poverty due to the groundbreaking expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in the American Rescue Plan. However, unless the administration takes swift and decisive action, these cash payments will be denied to struggling student loan borrowers and instead intercepted by ED. The nearly nine million borrowers who are in default on federal student loans, most of whom are low-income and many of whom have young children, will be subject to having their entire tax refunds including CTC and EITC payments seized through the Treasury Offset Program. For those student loan borrowers—and, most importantly, for their children—this entirely preventable outcome will unwind one of this administration’s signature achievements. The time to act is now. Conclusion More than 415 organizations33 and over 300 faith leaders34 have already urged you to use your executive authority to cancel student debt. They hear from borrowers just how difficult out of control student debt has been for their lives and futures. And don’t just take our word for it: listen to borrowers who assert how worried they are about the resumption of student loan payments.35 To be sure, while this issue has burdened younger generations more than their parents, according to the AARP, student loan debt has become a “threat to retirement security” because “borrowers frequently wind up carrying into retirement, long beyond their working years.”36 Older adults are increasingly holding student debt for themselves and their children. In fact, “=">">he percentage of families headed by someone 50 or older with student loan debt more than tripled between 1989 and 2016.”37 The concern is that this trend continues unless you take action now. Thank you for your leadership as we work to bring America back from the health and economic challenges of the last twenty months. Please do not hesitate to contact Remington A. Gregg at rgregg@citizen.org for more information on anything discussed above. We look forward to discussing this issue with you in the weeks to come. Sincerely, 1K Women Strong Accountable.US Action Center on Race and The Economy (ACRE) Affordable Homeownership Foundation, Inc. AFGE Local 704 AFT-Oregon Alaska PIRG Alliance for Youth Action American Association of University Professors American Association of University Women (AAUW) American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) American Federation of Teachers Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO Association of Young Americans (AYA) Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network Bet Tzedek Legal Services Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia Carolina Jews for Justice Center for Economic Integrity Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR) Center for Responsible Lending CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers CFPB Union NTEU 335 Chicago Foundation for Women Church Women United in New York State Clearinghouse on Women's Issues Communities for Our Colleges, WA Community Oriented Correctional Health Services Consumer Federation of America Consumer Federation of California Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Texas Council on Social Work Education Debt Collective Debt-Free MD, INC. (Maryland) Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Taskforce Forward Montana Franciscan Action Network Fund for Community Reparations for Autistic People of Color's Interdependence, Survival, & Empowerment Greenpeace USA Groundwork Action Hildreth Institute Hometown Action Housing and Economic Rights Advocates Indivisible League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Legal Services Staff Association, NOLSW/UAW 2320 Long Beach Alliance for Clean Energy Maine Center for Economic Policy Mainers for Accountable Leadership Action Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance Mazzoni Center Michigan Student Power Network Minority Veterans of America Modern Military Association of America MoveOn NASW-NM National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA) National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners National Black Justice Coalition National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients) National Education Association National Employment Law Project National League for Nursing National Women's Law Center National Young Farmers Coalition NC Coalition for Responsible Lending New Era Colorado New Hampshire Youth Movement New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center NextGen California Nonprofit Professional Employees Union, IFPTE Local 70 Oasis Legal Services Ohio Student Association Our Revolution Michigan People's Action People's Parity Project Piedmont Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse Progressive Change Campaign Committee Public Citizen Public Good Law Center Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts (PHENOM) Revolving Door Project SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center SEIU Local 500 Social Security Works Social Work Helper PBC Student Borrower Protection Center Student Debt Crisis Center SW Action Take on Wall Street The Coalition of Labor Union Women The Collaborative The Education Trust UltraViolet United Church of Christ, Justice and Local Church Ministries URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity VOCAL-NY We All Rise Women Employed Women's Rights and Empowerment Network Woodstock Institute Workplace Fairness Young Invincibles Zero Debt Massachusetts 1 Lauren Egan, The White House promised a memo on Biden’s authority to cancel debt. Where is it?, NBC NEWS (May 29, 2021, 6:00 AM), https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/white-house-promised-memo-biden-s- authority-cancel-student-debt-n1268681. 2 Letter from Eileen Connor, Deanne Loonin & Toby Merrill, Project on Predatory Student Lending, Legal Services Ctr. of Harvard L. Sch., to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Sept. 14, 2020), https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Ltr%20to%20Warren%20re%20admin%20debt%20cancellation.pdf. 3 LAURA SULLIVAN, TATJANA MESCHEDE, THOMAS SHAPIRO & FERNANDA ESCOBAR, INST. ON ASSETS AND SOCIAL POL’Y, STALLING DREAMS: HOW STUDENT DEBT IS DISRUPTING LIFE CHANCES AND WIDENING THE RACIAL WEALTH GAP 3 (Sept. 2019), https://heller.brandeis.edu/iere/pdfs/racial-wealth-equity/racial-wealth- gap/stallingdreams-how-student-debt-is-disrupting-lifechances.pdf. 4 See Joe Biden, Students React to Joe Biden on Climate Change, Student Debt, & Gun Control, YOUTUBE (Oct. 29, 2020), https://youtu.be/NJ66KFY78g4?t=68 (“I’m going to make sure that everybody in this generation gets $10,000 knocked off their student debt, as we try to get out of this God-awful pandemic.”). 5 National Ass’n of Realtors & Morning Consult, The Impact of Student Loan Debt, NATIONAL ASS’N OF REALTORS, 11-13 (Sept. 2021), https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/research-reports/the-impact-of- student-loan-debt. 6 Id. at 11. 7 OFFICE OF U.S. SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, Education Department Responses to Data Request by Senator Elizabeth Warren, April 2, 2021, https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Education%20Department%20Response%20to%20Sen%20Warren %20-%204-8-21.pdf (last visited Oct. 15, 2021). 8 Letter from Raphaël Charron-Chénier, Thomas Shapiro, Louise Seamster & Laura Sullivan, Heller Sch. of Social Pol’y & Mgmt., to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Apr. 19, 2019), https://elizabethwarren.com/wp- content/uploads/2019/04/Experts-Letter-to-Senator-Warren-.pdf. 9 Jillian Berman, Canceling $1.4 trillion in student debt could have major benefits for the economy, MARKETWATCH (Feb. 8, 2018, 9:40 AM), https://www.marketwatch.com/story/canceling-14-trillion-in-student-debt-could-have- major-benefits-for-the-economy-2018-02-07. 10 Olivia Rockeman & Catarina Saraiva, Millennials Are Running Out of Time to Build Wealth, BLOOMBERG (June 3, 2021), https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2021-millennials-are-running-out-of-time/. 11 Francisco Velasquez, Over half of Americans have less than 3 months worth of emergency savings, CNBC (July 28, 2021, 12:02 PM), https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/28/51percent-of-americans-have-less-than-3-months-worth- of-emergency-savings.html. 12.CHARLIE EATON, ADAM GOLDSTEIN, LAURA HAMILTON & FREDERICK WHERRY, ROOSEVELT INST., STUDENT DEBT CANCELLATION IS PROGRESSIVE: CORRECTING EMPIRICAL AND CONCEPTUAL ERRORS 12 (June 2021), https://rooseveltinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/RI_StudentDebtCancellation_IssueBrief_202106.pdf. 13.CTR. FOR RESPONSIBLE LENDING ET AL., QUICKSAND: BORROWERS OF COLOR & THE STUDENT DEBT CRISIS 1 (Sept. 2019), https://www.responsiblelending.org/sites/default/files/nodes/files/research-publication/crl-quicksand- student-debt-crisis-jul2019.pdf. 14.DARRICK HAMILTON ET AL., UMBRELLAS DON’T MAKE IT RAIN: WHY STUDYING AND WORKING HARD ISN’T ENOUGH FOR BLACK AMERICANS (Apr. 2015), http://www.insightcced.org/wp- content/uploads/2015/08/Umbrellas_Dont_Make_It_Rain_Final.pdf. 15.JEN MISHORY, MARK HUELSMAN & SUZANNE KAHN, THE CENTURY FOUND. ET AL., BRIDGING PROGRESSIVE POLICY DEBATES: HOW STUDENT LOAN DEBT AND THE RACIAL WEALTH GAP REINFORCE EACH OTHER, 4 (Sept. 9, 2019), https://production-tcf.imgix.net/app/uploads/2019/09/06161443/RI_Student-Debt-and-RWG-201908.pdf. 16 See Judith Scott-Clayton & Jing Li, Black-white disparity in student loan debt more than triples after graduation, BROOKINGS INST. (Oct. 20, 2016), https://www.brookings.edu/research/black-white-disparity-in-student-loan-debt- more-than-triples-after-graduation/. 17 Jonnelle Marte, Black student loan borrowers are defaulting at nearly twice the rate of whites: NY Fed, REUTERS (Nov. 13, 2019, 11:30 AM), https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-debt-race-idUSKBN1XN25M. 18 SULLIVAN ET AL., supra note 3, at 1. 19 See <,span class="s12">NATL. WOMEN’S LAW CTR., HIGHER EDUCATION, RECESSION, AND COVID-19: WHAT STUDENT BORROWERS NEED FROM A FEDERAL STIMULUS PACKAGE (April 2020), https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COVID- Stimulus-and-Higher-Ed-Factsheet.pdf. 20 EATON ET AL., supra note 12, at 1. 21 Rachel Louise Ensign & Shane Shifflett, College Was Supposed to Close the Wealth Gap for Black Americans. The Opposite Happened., WALL ST. J. (Aug. 7, 2021, 5:30 AM), https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-was- supposed-to-close-the-wealth-gap-for-black-americans-the-opposite-happened-11628328602. 22 Jacob S. Rugh, Why Black and Latino Home Ownership Matter to the Color Line and Multiracial Democracy, 12 RACE & SOC. PROBS. 57 (2020), https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-019-09275-y. 23 See President Joe Biden, Remarks by President Biden on the American Jobs Plan (Mar. 31, 2021), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/03/31/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the- american-jobs-plan/. 24 Press Release, Consumer Fin. Prot. Bureau, CFPB Sues Nation’s Largest Student Loan Company Navient for Failing Borrowers at Every Stage of Repayment (Jan. 18, 2017), https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about- us/newsroom/cfpb-sues-nations-largest-student-loan-company-navient-failing-borrowers-every-stage-repayment/; see also Teddy Nykiel & Anna Helhoski, Navient Lawsuit: What Student Borrowers Need to Know, NERDWALLET (Oct. 1, 2021), https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/student-loans/navient-student-loan-lawsuit (reporting on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lawsuit against Navient); Press Release, Washington State Office of the Attorney General, AG Ferguson: Judge rules national student loan servicer Navient broke the law in servicing student loan debt (Mar. 5, 2021), https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-ferguson-judge-rules-national- student-loan-servicer-navient-broke-law (discussing a Washington state court order holding that Navient violated the Consumer Protection Act in servicing student loans). 25 STUDENT BORROWER PROT. CTR., DRIVING INTO A DEAD END: WHY IDR HAS FAILED MILLIONS WITH DECADES- OLD DEBTS 3 (Sept. 2021), https://protectborrowers.org/wp- content/uploads/2021/10/SBPC_Driving_Into_A_Dead_End.pdf. 26 Press Release, Nat’l Consumer L. Ctr., New Government Data Exposes Complete Failure of Education Department’s Income-Driven Repayment Program (Mar. 8, 2021), https://www.nclc.org/uncategorized/new- government-data-exposes-complete-failure-of-education-departments-income-driven-repayment-program.html. 27 STUDENT BORROWER PROT. CTR., supra note 24. 28 EATON ET AL., supra note 12, at 7. 29 Id. at 2. 30 OFFICE OF U.S. SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN, supra note 7. 31 THE WHITE HOUSE, FACT SHEET: The American Families Plan (Apr. 28, 2021), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/28/fact-sheet-the-american-families-plan/. 32 Abigail Johnson Hess, Millions of student loan borrowers don’t have a diploma to show for their debt, CNBC (Jul. 23, 2021, 10:54 AM), https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/23/millions-of-student-loan-borrowers-dont-have-a- diploma-to-show-for-it.html (detailing that 40% of borrowers who have taken on student debt but have no degree after six years and that the default rate among borrowers who did not graduate is three times as high as for those who did). 33 See Americans for Financial Reform, Sign-on Letter: Over 415 Orgs Call on President Biden to Cancel Federal Student Debt Immediately via Executive Action (Apr. 13, 2021), https://ourfinancialsecurity.org/2021/04/sign-on- letter-over-410-orgs-call-on-president-biden-to-cancel-federal-student-debt-immediately-via-executive-action/. 34 See Press Release, Ctr. for Responsible Lending, Over 300 Faith Groups and Leaders Call on White House to Ease Student Loan Burden with Widespread Debt Cancellation (Aug. 16, 2021), https://www.responsiblelending.org/sites/default/files/uploads/files/faith-release-studentdebt-aug2021.pdf. 35 See Telling the Story of the Student Debt Crisis, STUDENT DEBT CRISIS CTR., https://studentdebtcrisis.org/stories/ (last visited Oct. 15. 2021). 36 Lori Trawinski, Rising Student Loan Debt Continues to Burden Older Borrowers, AARP (Mar. 24, 2021), https://blog.aarp.org/thinking-policy/rising-student-loan-debt-continues-to-burden-older-borrowers. 37 Helaine Olen, Student Debt Increasing the Strain on Older Americans, AARP (March. 6, 2021), https://www.aarp.org/money/credit-loans-debt/info-2019/parents-student-loan-debt.html.

This release was originally published at Generation Progress here. Washington, D.C., October 18, 2021—Over a dozen nonprofit and advocacy organizations are coming together from October 25th-29th for a dedicated week of action in support of debt-free college. The week of action, spearheaded by Generation Progress and members of its Higher Ed, Not Debt campaign, will demand the passage of President Biden’s free community college proposal, America’s College Promise, as a crucial first step in the fight for debt-free college. The campaign will also lay out a path forward for Congress’s future steps on free college that would transform higher education. Activities during the week will include constituent meetings with U.S. Senate offices, phonebanking, a storyteller workshop for borrowers, a digital media campaign, and a rally on October 29th in Washington, D.C. Participating organizations include: Generation Progress, 1000 Women Strong, Alliance for Youth Action, Americans for Financial Reform, Association of Young Americans, Center for Responsible Lending, The Education Trust, HBCU Collective, The Live Movement, NAACP,  National Consumer Law Center,  National Education Association, NoCap: Southern Vision, North Carolina Asian Americans Together, Ohio Students Association, Rise, Student Debt Crisis Center, UnidosUS, Young Invincibles, and more. Forty-five million Americans are currently saddled with student loan debt—and Black, Brown, and low-income people are disproportionately impacted. The week of action participants will also demand that President Biden keep his campaign promise of broad-based student debt cancellation and that Congress address the cost of college to ensure that the cycle of debt does not continue. To be most impactful, future debt-free college legislation should double the maximum Pell grant, make community college and 4-years of college at public universities free, create federal-state funding partnerships, cover the living expenses of students, address racial inequities in college affordability and invest additional federal funds on evidence-based student success strategies. The provisions of the legislation must also be made accessible to undocumented students, incarcerated students, and all who are traditionally excluded from most financial aid policy. A solution that accomplishes those goals  would truly transform higher education and go a long way towards making it accessible to everyone.