#public-service-loan-forgiveness

#public-service-loan-forgiveness

Both Sembach and Williams hold 6-figure student-loan balances from their educations. They're counting onthe Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which relieves student debt for government and nonprofit workers after 10 years of qualifying payments. The program, which started in 2007, has wiped out billions of dollars in debt over the past few years, but changes are looming. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March calling on the education secretary to redefine what "public service" is.

"The law does not empower the Secretary of Education to opine on the supposed illegality of a public service employer's mission-an unprecedented exercise of executive power that extends far beyond the Higher Education Act."

The HEROES Act aims to extend loan forgiveness under the PSLF Program to include volunteers who play a crucial role in public safety.