Sen. Elizabeth Warren is urging Schooling Secretary Linda McMahon to reinstate former Division of Schooling staff who have been crucial to the nation’s federal scholar support course of or else debtors will undergo “dire penalties,” based on a letter Warren despatched to McMahon on Wednesday.
“The Division of Schooling (ED) seems to be abandoning the tens of millions of fogeys, college students, and debtors who depend on a functioning federal scholar support system to decrease training prices,” Warren and a bunch of Democratic senators wrote in a letter to McMahon.
“ED ought to instantly restore all fired [Federal Student Aid] staff liable for reviewing scholar support complaints and chorus from taking any measures to discourage the submission of complaints,” the senators added.
The Schooling Division supposed to take away the “Submit a Grievance” button from FSA’s web site, based on the letter. It discovered a senior worker on the division referred to as the transfer an “general win” because the change would lower the amount and variety of complaints. However greater than 90% of the workplace’s complaints have been submitted on-line final yr.
Rating member Sen. Elizabeth Warren attends a Senate Banking, Housing and City Affairs Committee affirmation listening to in Dirksen constructing on Feb. 27, 2025.
Tom Williams/AP
“ED’s actions will harm mother and father attempting to know tips on how to submit the FAFSA appropriately in order that they will afford to ship their little one to school, veterans whose mortgage reimbursement standing has been processed incorrectly as a consequence of their deployment, and college students whose support is being improperly withheld by predatory for-profit faculties,” the letter mentioned.
The letter alleges the FSA web site adjustments — like shifting the submit a criticism perform — weakens FSA’s capability to resolve complaints and places debtors susceptible to mortgage scams. Warren, D-Mass., and the senators demand solutions in regards to the company’s criticism backlog, why the division fired the civil servants, and the way a lot affect Elon Musk and the Division of Authorities Effectivity had on the firings.
“Donald Trump is telling college students that for those who’re scammed by your scholar mortgage servicer or have an issue getting the help you could go to school, he doesn’t care,” Warren mentioned in a press release to ABC Information. “Secretary McMahon helps Trump rip alternatives away from children who simply desire a good training, and because of this, actual individuals will get harm. Democrats within the Senate aren’t going to roll over and quit on our youngsters — we’re preventing again,” Warren added.
This comes as President Donald Trump is predicted to signal an government order to intestine the U.S. Division of Schooling on the White Home on Wednesday, a number of sources acquainted instructed ABC Information. The president’s order will direct McMahon to take all essential steps permitted by regulation to dissolve division, based on the sources acquainted. It could take 60 votes within the Senate to dismantle the company that Congress created.
The training division took its first steps to remove practically half the company’s workforce final week via an enormous discount in drive, deferred resignations and retirement buyouts, based on the company. After a federal decide ordered that former probationary staff be reinstated, dozens have been rehired. A supply acquainted instructed ABC Information that many of the discount in drive impacted the places of work for Civil Rights and Federal Pupil Help. FSA civil servants are tasked with serving to the nation’s college students obtain larger training, together with overseeing a $1.6 trillion portfolio of scholar loans.
FSA obtained practically 300,000 complaints in Fiscal Yr 2024, based on the letter. The workplace had about 1,400 staff earlier than the layoffs and a whole bunch will likely be misplaced after final week’s cuts.
Nonetheless, the division will proceed to manage its statutory capabilities that college students from deprived backgrounds depend on, together with grants, method funding and loans, McMahon pressured lately.
“We wished to make it possible for we saved the entire proper individuals, the great individuals, to make it possible for the outward-facing packages, the grants, the appropriations that come from Congress, all of which can be being met and none of that’s going to fall via the cracks,” she mentioned on “The Ingraham Angle” on Fox Information.
Linda McMahon, President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of Schooling, testifies earlier than a Senate Well being, Schooling, Labor, and Pensions Committee affirmation listening to on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 13, 2025.
Tierney L Cross/Reuters
FSA’s operations have already been impacted, based on a supply acquainted. The federal scholar mortgage web site was down briefly final week. Lower than 24 hours after being fired, IT staff have been referred to as frantically to hitch an hours-long troubleshooting name, based on the supply.
All through President Joe Biden’s tenure there have been widespread points with the Free Utility for Federal Pupil Help, or FAFSA, kind. Throughout a Home Committee on Appropriations listening to final spring former Schooling Secretary Miguel Cardona mentioned the division was engaged on fixing the botched rollout of the shape “across the clock.” McMahon’s division touted a 50% improve on the variety of FAFSA applications submitted in comparison with this time final yr.
Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the rating member on the Senate’s Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions committee, have been among the many 11 lawmakers who signed the letter. The deadline for the administration to reply is March 25.
A former FSA lawyer, who did oversight and enforcement within the borrower protection unit, mentioned they have been heartbroken after they have been let go from their dream job on Valentine’s Day.
For the reason that checks stopped coming in final month, the previous worker mentioned it’s been tough dwelling on unemployment advantages. The previous worker described making a few fifth of what they introduced in earlier than being fired.
Nevertheless, they mentioned the letter to McMahon offers them renewed hope.
“If I might get my job again I might take it in a heartbeat,” the previous FSA lawyer instructed ABC Information, including, “I cherished the work that we did.”
