President Donald Trump revised a public student loan program to exclude those who violate immigration laws, engage in illegal activity during protests, or participate in a variety of actions his administration opposes.
The Friday night executive order looks to pare back some of the Biden administration’s moves to forgive public student loans after the former president’s initiative to enact sweeping student loan forgiveness failed.
“The prior administration abused the PSLF Program through a waiver process, using taxpayer funds to pay off loans for employees still years away from the statutorily required number of payments,” the executive order says. “Moreover, instead of alleviating worker shortages in necessary occupations, the PSLF Program has misdirected tax dollars into activist organizations that not only fail to serve the public interest, but actually harm our national security and American values, sometimes through criminal means.”
The activities that may result in student loan penalties include support for terrorism; child abuse, such as “the chemical and surgical castration or mutilation of children or the trafficking of children to so-called transgender sanctuary;” aiding and abetting “illegal discrimination;” violating federal immigration laws; and state law violations, including trespassing, disorderly conduct, public nuisance, vandalism, and obstruction of highways.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program aims to forgive the student loans of public employees after they work for the government for 10 years and make minimum payments during that time.
Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, spoke with Trump on Friday and explained who the order will affect.
“The problem is that a lot of these people work for NGO organizations or nonprofit organizations that engage in illegal, what we consider to be improper, activities,” he said. “Supporting, for example, illegal immigration or foreign terrorist organizations.”
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon previously assured that she does not plan to close the PSLF program.
“Yes, because that’s the law. We certainly should honor those programs,” McMahon said. “And if we want stronger or more programs for loan forgiveness, then I think Congress should pass those programs and then we would implement it.”
The executive order could be aimed in part at the Gaza protesters across America, who have set up encampments, occupied buildings, and engaged in demonstrations that turned violent since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack. Trump recently pulled $400 million from Columbia University’s federal funding after deeming the school failed to address antisemitic incidents associated with pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
TRACKING WHAT DOGE IS DOING ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
McMahon said in a statement that Jewish students on campus who had been the victims of “relentless violence, intimidation, and antisemitic harassment on their campuses” were “ignored” by university authorities.
“Today, we demonstrate to Columbia and other universities that we will not tolerate their appalling inaction any longer,” she said.
