AFT Issues Statement on Education Secretary DeVos’ Scrapping of Student Loan

WASHINGTON, April 11 — The American Federation of Teachers issued the following statement by President Randi Weingarten on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' scrapping of the Obama administration's student loan borrower protections:

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“Secretary DeVos–with the stroke of a pen–has reinstated the Wild West of student loans where servicers get to play by their own rules, and borrowers get fleeced. Her decision rescinds the most basic protections student debtors have when dealing with servicers, like expecting their bills to be accurate and their payments to be processed on time.

“And she's opened the door for rogue operators such as Navient, which overcharged service members and veterans millions of dollars, to win even more lucrative government contracts. If Secretary DeVos were serious about curing America's trillion dollar student loan crisis, she would strengthen, not rescind, these protections. Instead, she is enabling and empowering bad actors.

“It's just another clear example of Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration putting the interests of predatory profiteers over the needs of the little guy–in this instance, the millions of people trying to go to college or acquire career skills without being crippled by debt.”

The AFT represents 1.6 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.