1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing to express serious concern about the Department of Education's failure to properly administer the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which is leaving thousands of borrowers in limbo despite fulfilling their obligations. As of December 31, 83,370 buyback applications remained pending. In December alone, the department approved only 1,690 applications while receiving 5,090 new ones. This means the backlog is growing, not shrinking. These are borrowers who have worked in public service for a decade and are trying to buy back months spent in deferment or forbearance by making the payments they would have owed. Many were enrolled in the SAVE plan, which has been in forbearance for over a year due to litigation, preventing them from receiving PSLF credit during that time. The buyback option is their only path to relief, yet the department cannot process applications at even a fraction of the rate they are received. This administrative failure is compounded by a new rule finalized in October 2024 that narrows employer eligibility by excluding employers with "a substantial illegal purpose." Multiple lawsuits have challenged this rule as irremediably vague, and advocates warn it could be used to block borrowers based on their employers' political views rather than any legitimate concern. There is no evidence that the problem this rule purports to address has ever actually occurred. Over 7 million borrowers are currently pursuing PSLF. These are nurses, teachers, social workers, and other public servants who made career decisions based on a promise from the federal government. As one borrower, Jeff Hughes, said: "I'm so close to the finish line. I really hope that the program continues as is because we need some more good people out there doing good work." I urge you to demand that the Department of Education immediately increase processing capacity for buyback applications and to oppose the vague October 2024 rule that threatens to politicize PSLF eligibility. Public servants deserve better than broken promises and bureaucratic dysfunction.