Menendez Statement on Biden Administration’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Announcement

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who has been a leading voice in the Senate on reforming the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, issued the following statement today in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement that changes to the PSLF program that the Senator called for would be made permanent:

“I am pleased that the Biden Administration has heard our repeated calls to make permanent fixes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program that has been plagued with obstacles and mismanagement since its inception. Many of these changes are measures I outlined earlier this year in legislation introduced with Congressman Norcross aimed at removing the numerous barriers to accessing PSLF for millions of Americans who have dedicated their lives to making our country better. This includes the Department’s adoption of a single standard for full-time employment of 30 hours and allowing for adjunct and contingent faculty to receive a standard amount of credit for the courses that they teach.

“Today’s announcement means millions of public service workers will now have a second chance at loan forgiveness. It’s now time for President Biden and Secretary Cardona to take an additional step and extend the filing deadline for the temporary waiver until the rule making is processed to avoid any undue confusion or burden for our public servants. There are still more than seven million eligible individuals who have served their community as nurses, teachers, firefighters, military servicemembers, social workers, and in other public service roles, who have yet to apply but still deserve the same opportunity to receive the promise of loan forgiveness the program intended.”