Behind the Bumper Sticker: Student Loan Relief Under the Biden Administration

Just over a year into the Biden Administration, the media narrative often implies that the President has done little to address student loans. Yet contrary to that narrative, President Biden’s Education Department has made major strides on student loan relief, prioritizing forgiveness for those engaged in public service as well as distressed or defrauded borrowers who needed the relief the most. To date, the Administration has cancelled more than $17 billion in student loans – with additional targeted relief on the way.

To learn more about the progress this Administration has made so far on student loan relief, Third Way hosted a digital briefing of our “Behind the Bumper Sticker” event series. Third Way’s Senior Vice President of Social Policy, Education, and Politics, Lanae Erickson was joined by Ashley Harrington, Senior Advisor to the COO in the Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid to learn more about the borrowers who have received relief from the Administration, the effects it has had on their communities, and other affordability fixes the Department is working to address within our higher education system. Following their conversation, Michelle Dimino, Senior Education Policy Advisor at Third Way, was joined in conversation with Brian Walsh, a community college professor who received relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) waiver. They discussed Brian’s experience applying for forgiveness and how impactful the relief has been for him and his family.