Document Type

Blog Post

Publication Date

4-15-2025

Abstract

The earnings of public sector employees trail behind those of their private sector counterparts, and this income disparity is continually increasing. Thus, the burden of repaying student loan debt weighs heavily on public servants.  Lower earnings, and the resulting difficulty in repaying student loans, tend to dissuade individuals from pursuing or maintaining careers in public service, thereby leading to staffing shortages in essential workforce sectors, particularly since those positions often require highly educated candidates.  In 2007, Congress sought to address these burdens by passing the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (“CCRAA”), which established the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (“PSLF”) Program. However, President Trump now aims to limit PSLF through an executive order which, despite appearing to merely prevent employees of organizations engaging in “illegal activities” from receiving loan forgiveness, actually compromises congressional intent by excluding individuals who work for marginalized groups. Other governmental branches must resist caving to presidential pressure to ensure that these workers can continue serving the communities that rely on them without sacrificing their own livelihoods, regardless of the sitting president’s whims.

This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice website on April 15, 2025. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above.

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