U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from all members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate as well as the House and Senate leadership and House and Senate committees.
Featured Stories
Senator McConnell Secures Critical Resources for Kentucky
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, issued the following news release:
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- As Majority Leader and Senior Member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator McConnell delivers national resources to bolster Kentucky priorities
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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) secured a number of critical resources for Kentucky in three government funding bills approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today. The Committee, of which Senator McConnell is a senior member, approved the Agriculture, Transportation and Housing, and Financial Services
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, issued the following news release:
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- As Majority Leader and Senior Member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator McConnell delivers national resources to bolster Kentucky priorities
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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) secured a number of critical resources for Kentucky in three government funding bills approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today. The Committee, of which Senator McConnell is a senior member, approved the Agriculture, Transportation and Housing, and Financial Servicesfunding measures. The full Senate must now approve the three bills.
"As Senate Majority Leader and a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I'm constantly looking for ways to secure federal resources for Kentucky's priorities," said Senator McConnell. "Bringing these funds to the Bluegrass State, we're showing once again that Kentucky has an out-sized impact in Washington and punches above its weight in the Senate. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in Congress to send these Kentucky accomplishments to the president's desk."
The provisions Senator McConnell secured in the bills include:
HEMP
"Hemp farmers, processors and manufacturers are exploring the crop's great potential, and I'm proud to work with them every step of the way," Senator McConnell said. "As federal and state governments continue to develop how to best support this industry, I'll keep working to benefit Kentucky producers and ensure hemp is treated just like any other legal commodity."
- $16.5 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement Senator McConnell's hemp provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill.
- $2.5 million for the research of hemp through Agriculture Research Service (ARS) sites - like those in Lexington and Bowling Green, Kentucky.
- A measure encouraging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue formal enforcement discretion guidance for CBD products. This guidance would remain in place until FDA finalizes a permanent legal pathway for the products.
- A provision directing the Farm Credit Administration to offer services to hemp producers and businesses.
- A prohibition on the federal government from banning the transfer, production or sale of hemp in accordance with the 2014 Farm Bill.
- Support for competitive USDA grants for hemp projects.
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
"The University of Kentucky is putting Central Kentucky researchers at the forefront of agricultural innovation, and this investment will continue their groundbreaking work," said Senator McConnell. "With local public and private sector partners, UK is quickly helping our Commonwealth become a national hub for high tech agricultural research."
- $65.9 million for the construction of the Forage Animal Production Lab at the University of Kentucky. The research done at this ARS site focuses on meeting the needs of this growing agri-business in the region and serves both the cattle and horse industries. Senator McConnell secured funding in prior appropriations bills to establish ARS labs at the University of Kentucky and Western Kentucky University.
TRANSPORTATION
"As the only congressional leader not from New York or California, I see it as my responsibility to look out for rural America, most especially for rural communities in Kentucky," said Senator McConnell. "Directing critical resources to rural infrastructure projects in Eastern and Western Kentucky, we are investing in the regions' workforce and its future."
- $100 million in dedicated funding for the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), which will go towards funding the 12 remaining miles of Kentucky ADHS infrastructure - located in Letcher and Pike Counties.
- $162 million for the Essential Air Service Program and $3.8 billion for the Airport Improvement Program, which will benefit rural airports like Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah and the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport.
- $2 billion for the U.S. Department of Transportation's BUILD and INFRA grant programs, which fund critical infrastructure projects around the country. Senator McConnell frequently supports his constituents' applications for these grants, working with the Trump administration to bring more than $130 million to construction projects across the Bluegrass State.
COMBATING SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND OPIOID EPIDEMIC
"Kentucky is helping to lead the national response to the devastating opioid, meth, and substance abuse epidemic," Senator McConnell said. "By fully-funding vital programs, including my CAREER Act, we are supporting those on the path to long-term recovery and protecting families. Kentucky recently saw a long-awaited decrease in the number of overdose fatalities last year, and I am thankful these resources will continue to build upon that success to prevent addiction, provide treatment, support interdiction, and--most importantly--to save lives."
- $25 million for the transitional housing pilot program under the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery through Effective Employment and Reentry (CAREER) Act. The CAREER Act, which was established as a result of a measure Senator McConnell secured in the landmark opioid package signed into law last year, helps address the devastating impact of substance abuse on America's workforce by connecting recovering individuals with career services and stable housing opportunities. The transitional housing pilot program will support long-term recovery by providing funding for temporary housing opportunities for individuals until they can arrange a more permanent living situation.
- $280 million for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) to combat meth and opioid abuse. Earlier this month, Senator McConnell announced that Boyd County, Kentucky was chosen for inclusion in the Appalachia HIDTA program. McConnell advocated for Boyd County's inclusion into the HIDTA program, which provides law enforcement agencies in designated counties with coordination, equipment, technology and additional resources to combat drug production and trafficking. Senator McConnell has also fought for the expansion of the Appalachia HIDTA to include hard-hit counties across the state, including Jefferson County in 2009, Hardin County in 2012, Nelson and Madison Counties in 2014 and Montgomery and Powell Counties in 2018. He also helped secure the inclusion of Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties into the Ohio HIDTA in 2016. Because of Senator McConnell's consistent advocacy, nearly half of all Kentuckians currently live in a HIDTA county.
- $100 million for the Drug Free Communities program. Senator McConnell is proud to support this special program which provides funding to local communities to create educational programs and raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse.
- $3.3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which provides communities with resources to address their unique challenges, including the devastating effects from the opioid and substance abuse epidemic, especially for those communities in rural Kentucky.
ELECTION SECURITY
"I am proud the Financial Services bill includes a bipartisan amendment providing another $250 million for the administration and security of our elections, to help states improve their defenses and shore up their voting systems. I am proud to have helped develop this amendment and to co-sponsor it in committee," Senator McConnell added. "That will bring our total allocation for election security to more than $600 million since fiscal year 2018. It is a crucial issue. The Trump administration has made enormous strides to help states secure their elections without giving Washington new power to push the states around. That's how we continue the progress we saw in 2018 and that's exactly what we're doing."
- $250 million for states, including Kentucky, to enhance their voting systems. Leader McConnell has a long and strong record of fighting for fair and effective voting procedures, from co-authoring the Help America Vote Act to supporting $380 million for states for election security for the 2018 midterm election (Kentucky received nearly $6 million). This year, the Senate - under Senator McConnell's leadership -- has already passed almost a dozen other bipartisan measures to help secure elections.
Sen. Udall Fights for Quality Housing for Indian Country
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release:
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- In Appropriations Committee, Udall presses for NAHASDA reauthorization - critical Native housing program expired in 2013?
- Will continue to press for long-term authorization as bill includes $820 million for Fiscal Year 2020
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Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, offered an amendment to provide housing certainty for Native Americans by reauthorizing the Native American Housing and Self Determination Act (NAHASDA) through fiscal year
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release:
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- In Appropriations Committee, Udall presses for NAHASDA reauthorization - critical Native housing program expired in 2013?
- Will continue to press for long-term authorization as bill includes $820 million for Fiscal Year 2020
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Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, offered an amendment to provide housing certainty for Native Americans by reauthorizing the Native American Housing and Self Determination Act (NAHASDA) through fiscal year2021. Authorization for the program expired in 2013.
Udall offered the amendment during a markup of the fiscal year 2020 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Bill. Udall's amendment was rejected by a margin of 15-16 along party lines, but Udall pledged to continue fighting to reauthorize this critical program and provide long-term certainty for Tribes. Several Republican Senators who voted against the amendment on process grounds nonetheless agreed to work with Udall with renewed urgency to get NAHASDA passed in the Senate and reauthorized in the 116th Congress. Udall was successful in securing $820 million in the bill for Native housing, but expressed concern that authorization for this funding has lapsed, causing uncertainty about the fate of funding in future years.
"NAHASDA is a critically important program that provides tribes with the funds to address their housing needs, which are substantial," Udall said. "Just one example: when compared with the national average, Tribal households are three times more likely to live in an overcrowded house, and eleven times more likely to live in a house that has inadequate plumbing."
"I am grateful that this bill provides robust funding to NAHASDA's programs. However, NAHASDA must be reauthorized for tribes to have certainty," Udall said. "My amendment would reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act through fiscal year 2021 -- a simple, two-year authorization that would provide much-needed certainty and clarity for Native communities, the budgetary certainty for their ongoing efforts to provide safe and suitable housing for their members -- certainty that has been elusive since NAHASDA's authorization expired in 2013."
For the past three Congresses, NAHASDA has been taken up and passed by the committees of jurisdiction in both the Senate and House, and was passed on a strong bipartisan vote by the full House in 2015. But it has failed to advance in the Senate largely due to a handful of ideological objections.
"The House passed a clean, bipartisan [NAHASDA] reauthorization in 2015. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee recommended it unanimously at the time. But the full Senate has never acted," Udall continued. "We cannot get unanimous consent for a clean reauthorization because a small handful of members object to including Native Hawaiians for misguided, ideological reasons. Native Hawaiians are included today and like many others I stand with the Hawaii delegation in rejecting attempts to include a rider to eliminate them from this program. This amendment is not a poison pill. Not even close. It is not a partisan issue."
Rep. Rogers Supports Temporary Federal Funding Bill to Keep Government Running
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Kentucky, issued the following news release:
U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) voted for a stopgap federal funding bill to ensure military operations and other critical government programs continue as the end of the fiscal year approaches. With a divided Congress, more time is necessary to finalize funding priorities for fiscal year 2020, which begins October 1, 2019. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Short-Term Continuing Resolution (CR), H.R. 4378, to continue current funding levels through November 21st.
"This bill continues
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Kentucky, issued the following news release:
U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) voted for a stopgap federal funding bill to ensure military operations and other critical government programs continue as the end of the fiscal year approaches. With a divided Congress, more time is necessary to finalize funding priorities for fiscal year 2020, which begins October 1, 2019. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Short-Term Continuing Resolution (CR), H.R. 4378, to continue current funding levels through November 21st.
"This bill continuescritical funding for our U.S. Armed Forces, national security operations, public health resources, and extends pro-life protections," said Congressman Rogers, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. "Short-term funding bills are not ideal, but as we continue advocating for adequate resources in 2020 for programs that are vital to Kentucky and the rest of the country, Congress needs more time to get the job done right."
The CR promotes timely payments for government programs that support farmers, community health enters, small businesses, and other countless resources that Americans rely on.
The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
Rep. Bonamici Presses EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on EPA's Dismissal of Science
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release:
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), a leader on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, questioned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler about the Agency's proposed rule to censor science. This was the first time a Trump-appointed EPA Administrator appeared before the committee.
The proposed "censoring science" rule, titled Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science, would force the EPA to ignore valuable scientific information. In his testimony, Administrator
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release:
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), a leader on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, questioned Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler about the Agency's proposed rule to censor science. This was the first time a Trump-appointed EPA Administrator appeared before the committee.
The proposed "censoring science" rule, titled Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science, would force the EPA to ignore valuable scientific information. In his testimony, AdministratorWheeler acknowledged the need to issue a supplemental rule to address the inconsistencies and flawed logic in the proposed rule.
In a series of questions, Bonamici pressed Wheeler to justify the EPA's reversal of its existing policy, which allows consideration of scientific studies in the regulatory process. She questioned whether the Administrator and the EPA are committed to a comprehensive review process of the proposed rule. Bonamici also raised concerns about the potential retroactive application of the proposed rule on landmark environmental laws like the Toxic Substances Control Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act.
"I join many in the science community who are deeply concerned about the EPA's proposed censoring science rule," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. "By intentionally limiting the scope of science the EPA can consider in making decisions, the proposed rule would impede, if not eradicate, the EPA's ability to fulfill its mission to protect the environment and health of our communities.
"The proposed rule is an attack on the role of science itself at EPA. We cannot ignore the facts: this effort to censor science undermines scientific integrity at the EPA, jeopardizes bedrock public health and environmental standards, and endangers the well-being of every person who benefits from clean air and clean water."
Bonamici has long been a vocal opponent of the Trump Administration's efforts to undermine and ignore science. Last year, she testified at the EPA against the proposed censoring science rule, and joined her colleagues in sending a letter to the EPA in opposition to the proposed rule.
In June, the House passed Bonamici's amendment to increase funding for the EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) to comprehensively review the proposed rule. The EPA previously limited the scope of the SAB's review of the proposed rule.
Langevin, Cicilline Recognize Bicentennial of Congdon Street Baptist Church
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release:
Congressman Jim Langevin (RI-02), along with Congressman David Cicilline (RI-01), submitted the following statement to the Congressional Record to commemorate the bicentennial of the Congdon Street Baptist Church in Providence:
"Madam Speaker, I rise with my colleague, Congressman David Cicilline, to celebrate the bicentennial of the Congdon Street Baptist Church. Over the last 200 years, the church has been a pillar of the black community in Providence, serving as a place of worship, education, and
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Rep. Jim Langevin, D-Rhode Island, issued the following news release:
Congressman Jim Langevin (RI-02), along with Congressman David Cicilline (RI-01), submitted the following statement to the Congressional Record to commemorate the bicentennial of the Congdon Street Baptist Church in Providence:
"Madam Speaker, I rise with my colleague, Congressman David Cicilline, to celebrate the bicentennial of the Congdon Street Baptist Church. Over the last 200 years, the church has been a pillar of the black community in Providence, serving as a place of worship, education, andfellowship for Rhode Island residents.
From its founding, the church has thrived in the face of adversity. In 1819, under the backdrop of racial segregation and slavery, a small group of residents came together to create a safe space for black members of the Providence community. In 1869, hostile neighbors had the church demolished. Nonetheless, the community rallied together to rebuild the church in 1875, which was added the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Over the years, the church has continued to carry out the mission of its founders - supporting civil rights for the black community. In 1968, the church became a sanctuary for black students at Brown University and Pembroke College during the student walkout, and during the 1960s, members of the congregation marched down Cranston Street with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the fight for equal rights.
On its 200th anniversary, we reflect on the Congdon Street Baptist Church's incredible history and wish the church another 200 years of success in connecting community members to their faith and one another."
House Science, Space & Technology Committee Members Introduce Minority Serving Institution STEM Achievement Act
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, issued the following news release:
Yesterday, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) along with Congressman Michael Waltz (R-FL) introduced H.R. 4372, the "MSI STEM Achievement Act." H.R. 4372 directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support research to better understand the challenges minority serving institutions (MSIs) face, their contributions to the STEM workforce, and effective approaches to enhancing their capacity to compete for Federal STEM education and
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, issued the following news release:
Yesterday, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) along with Congressman Michael Waltz (R-FL) introduced H.R. 4372, the "MSI STEM Achievement Act." H.R. 4372 directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support research to better understand the challenges minority serving institutions (MSIs) face, their contributions to the STEM workforce, and effective approaches to enhancing their capacity to compete for Federal STEM education andresearch funds. The bill also ensures that Federal science agencies are actively engaging with MSIs to help build their research competitiveness and encourage partnerships among MSI's and between MSI's and other stakeholders to leverage networks, build capacity, and create new opportunities for MSI students to pursue STEM careers.
"With the demand for STEM skills at an all-time high, we must do more to increase the number of STEM graduates entering the workforce," said Chairwoman Johnson. "However, it is increasingly clear that we cannot get there with a STEM workforce that does not reflect the diversity of the nation. MSIs have a proven track record of recruiting, retaining, and graduating underrepresented minority students who are prepared to enter the STEM workforce. MSI programs and practices are also promising models for other universities seeking to increase the success of underrepresented minority students in STEM on their campuses. Unfortunately, a lack of resources and infrastructure necessary to compete for Federal research and STEM education funding have prevented MSIs from realizing their full potential to contribute to the STEM workforce. We must act quickly if we are to address the challenges of the 21st century and maintain our standing as the global leader in innovation. This bill is an important step in that direction."
"Minorities make up 27 percent of the U.S. population but are severely underrepresented in STEM fields, only accounting for 11 percent of the STEM workforce," said Rep. Waltz. "Minority-serving institutions like Bethune-Cookman University are key to improving participation and retention in STEM. This bill focuses on increasing STEM capacity at these institutions, encourages partnerships with industry and expands our STEM workforce in places with high-tech jobs like Florida's Space Triangle."
House Education Subcommittee Issues Testimony From Urban Institute
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- The Education and Labor subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment issued the following testimony by Matthew M. Chingos, vice president for education data and policy at the Urban Institute, at a hearing entitled "Broken Promises: Examining the Failed Implementation of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program":
"Thank you for the opportunity to testify today about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
"I direct the Center on Education Data and Policy at the Urban Institute here in Washington, DC. My colleagues and I work to support evidence-based
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- The Education and Labor subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment issued the following testimony by Matthew M. Chingos, vice president for education data and policy at the Urban Institute, at a hearing entitled "Broken Promises: Examining the Failed Implementation of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program":
"Thank you for the opportunity to testify today about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
"I direct the Center on Education Data and Policy at the Urban Institute here in Washington, DC. My colleagues and I work to support evidence-basededucation policymaking by conducting original research, creating policy analysis tools, and democratizing data. Over the past two years, we have developed resources aimed at helping Congress elucidate the trade-offs involved in proposals to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.
"I am proud of the work we do at the Urban Institute, but I should emphasize that the views expressed in this testimony are my own and should not be attributed to any organization with which I am affiliated, its trustees, or its funders.
"My testimony will provide an overview of PSLF and the Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TEPSLF) program, with a focus on how the complex design of these well-intended programs has led to confusion among borrowers, how we can evaluate the success of programs like TEPSLF, and how these programs might be reformed to better accomplish their goals.
"I am not an expert on student loan servicing, but I believe that the design of PSLF and TEPSLF plays an important role in the challenges faced both by borrowers in navigating the programs and by the federal government in administering them. A research lens can help elucidate the trade-offs policymakers face as they seek to improve both the design and implementation of loan forgiveness programs.
"My testimony today is rooted in three principles:
"First, federal grant and loan programs are critical for promoting college access and completion, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. There is ample evidence that subsidizing college costs leads to increases in college enrollment and persistence, especially among low-income students.1
"Second, student aid and loan repayment programs should be straightforward, so that all students who are eligible can access funds to go to college and navigate flexible repayment options that protect them from having to make unaffordable payments afterward.
"Finally, federal student aid programs should be designed to accomplish well-defined goals--whether increasing access to college or encouraging students to enter public service--as efficiently as possible, so taxpayer dollars are used to maximum effect.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
"PSLF sounds like a simple program: it promises loan forgiveness to borrowers who work in public service for at least 10 years. But the program Congress designed is complicated, and subsequent changes made by both the Obama administration and Congress have made it even more complex.
"First, to reduce the cost of PSLF, Congress limited the program to borrowers who took out loans under the Direct Loan program, which was relatively small in 2007 (approximately 20 percent of new loan volume) but became the primary source of new federal student loans beginning in 2010.2 Borrowers with older loans can consolidate their loans into the Direct Loan program, but only payments made after consolidation qualify for PSLF. Thus, borrowers who make payments but then consolidate their debt can lose progress toward PSLF, as consolidation resets the payment count. Currently, 13 million borrowers have loans from the previous program, compared with 35 million who have Direct Loans.3
"Second, borrowers need to correspond with previous employers, who need to complete paperwork to prove the borrower worked full time in public service, which the federal government defines based on the legal status of the employer, not the job being done. Nurses at nonprofit hospitals are eligible, but nurses doing the same work at for-profit hospitals are not (a fact that may not be obvious to employees). PSLF defines public service to include jobs for any government or 501(c)(3) organization, which encompass about 25 percent of the workforce.4
"Third, borrowers need to be in certain loan repayment plans to be eligible for forgiveness. By default, borrowers are placed into the standard (10-year) plan upon entering repayment. Payments made under the 10-year plan are eligible for PSLF, but they would not leave any balance to forgive after 10 years unless the borrower later switches to an income-driven plan. All the income-driven plans are eligible for PSLF, and once borrowers make 120 on-time payments under any combination of income-driven plans and the standard plan, they can apply for forgiveness. Any payments made under other plans, such as graduated or extended repayment plans, are ineligible for PSLF. Periods spent in deferment and forbearance also do not count.
"Currently, across all Direct Loan borrowers, 45 percent are on income-driven plans, 30 percent are on the standard plan, and 21 percent are on ineligible plans.5 Borrowers can switch to any plan for which they are eligible, and the income-driven plans require annual recertification. The income-driven plans are an important safety net for borrowers but are confusing to navigate and have failed to stop millions of defaults.6
"When PSLF was created in 2007, the most generous income-driven repayment plan available was income-based repayment, which generally allows borrowers to pay 15 percent of their discretionary income toward their loans. But later legislation and executive action created more generous income-driven repayment plans that allow borrowers to pay 10 percent of their discretionary income. Reducing monthly payments by one-third increased the amount of potential forgiveness for borrowers (and the cost of the program to taxpayers); it also increased the stakes for borrowers to pick the plan that maximizes the size of their benefit.7 Payment reduction also made PSLF available to higher-income borrowers, who are more likely to have a balance remaining to be forgiven if they pay 10 percent of their income rather than 15 percent.
"To summarize, to receive PSLF, borrowers must have the right kind of student loan, make 120 on-time payments in an eligible repayment plan, and work at least 35 hours a week for the right type of employer.8 Given the complexity of the program, it is not surprising that many borrowers are confused about whether they are eligible. For example, a 2018 GAO report found that more than 150,000 borrowers who did not have eligible loans attempted to have them certified for PSLF. The same report found that, of the borrowers who applied for forgiveness, only half had any qualifying employment and loans, and less than 1 percent had made 120 qualifying payments.9
"Confusion about student loans is not limited to PSLF. A 2014 study I coauthored found that 28 percent of federal loan borrowers in their first year of college did not know they had a federal loan, and 14 percent did not know they had any kind of student loan. More generally, less than one-third of students could provide a reasonably accurate estimate of how much they had borrowed.10
"In 2018, Congress attempted to address borrower concerns about access to PSLF by creating the Temporary Expanded PSLF program, a first-come, first-served pot of money ($700 million) for borrowers who met all the requirements for PSLF except they were in the wrong repayment plans. To restrict eligibility to borrowers who would have been eligible had they been in the right plan, Congress required that borrowers either have been in an income-driven repayment plan for the past year or document that they made payments at least as large as they would have made under such a plan. Without this requirement, more high-income borrowers would be eligible for TEPSLF if they were in a graduated or extended plan with a term greater than 10 years. This is likely Congress's attempt to insert a means-testing element into TEPSLF to ensure that the funds go to the neediest borrowers.
Measuring the Success of TE/PSLF
"The high denial rates of both TEPSLF and PSLF have generated headlines, but the denial rates alone don't tell us whether these programs have reached the borrowers they were intended to reach. To judge success, we need to know how many borrowers who are actually eligible under the terms of the programs are applying, and how many are being approved.
"It is impossible to precisely estimate how many borrowers are eligible for TEPSLF or PSLF because they only become known once they identify themselves to their servicers by taking steps to certify their employment and loans. The lack of any reasonable estimation method has left the press and Congress to focus on the fact that 99 percent of applications were rejected, and not on why they were rejected.
"A review of the program's requirements suggests that the number of borrowers who are currently eligible for forgiveness may be small. To be eligible, borrowers would have had to be in repayment by 2009 (and have either only borrowed Direct Loans or consolidated them into one), work more or less continuously in the public sector for 10 years, maintain enrollment in an income-driven or standard plan for this period (or a different plan and meet TEPSLF's payment requirements), and make consistent on-time payments. All of this is determined retroactively, potentially sowing confusion among borrowers who can spend years thinking they are eligible before learning they are not.
"The available data suggest relatively few borrowers would meet this requirement. Data that are regularly published by the Department of Education indicate that just over 600,000 borrowers have made qualifying payments under PSLF, and two-thirds of those have 24 or fewer months of qualifying payments.11 As time passes, more borrowers will surely meet the 120 qualifying payment requirement and become eligible for PSLF or TEPSLF.
"A 2019 GAO report accessed useful servicer data on TEPSLF applications but focused on the share of applications approved (1 percent) rather than attempting to estimate the share of eligible borrowers who were able to access the program.12
"Seventy-one percent of TEPSLF applications were denied because the borrower had not yet submitted an application for PSLF (although, with an average of TEPSLF 1.35 applications per borrower in the GAO data, it is likely that some applicants tried again after being denied for PSLF). No additional information is made available on these applicants, although the servicer data may contain information that would be useful to measure the success of the program, such as whether applicants have been in repayment for 10 years and whether they made at least 120 on-time payments.13
"The GAO report provides useful data on why most TEPSLF applications were denied. Of the 16,116 TEPSLF applications that did meet the requirement of first applying for PSLF, 35 percent had not been in repayment for 10 years, 19 percent failed to meet the payment size criteria set by Congress, 13 percent made less than 120 qualifying payments, 11 percent did not have eligible federal loans, 8 percent did not provide requested income information, 8 percent had less than 120 months of qualifying employment, and 2 percent were rejected for other reasons. Only 4 percent of these applicants were approved for TEPSLF.
"Servicing errors may mean that some number of these applicants are in fact eligible, but the bottom line is that, based on the findings in the GAO report, most borrowers who are applying for TEPSLF are most likely ineligible. The data analyzed by GAO show rampant confusion among borrowers about their eligibility for TEPSLF, consistent with the 2018 GAO report on PSLF. Some TEPSLF applicants who did not first apply for PSLF are likely eligible. But even if the eligibility rate for this group is twice that of the group of borrowers who followed the requirement of first applying for PSLF (8 percent versus 4 percent), the overall eligibility rate would only rise to 7 percent.14
Reforming PSLF for Future Borrowers
"The GAO report on TEPSLF makes some recommendations for how to better communicate about the program to borrowers. But the hard truth is that a program as complex as TEPSLF is likely to continue to be confusing, as evidenced by borrower confusion about the PSLF program, which has been in place for much longer.
"In addition to creating confusion, PSLF is likely to distribute large sums of money--an average of $59,000 forgiven per borrower--in a poorly targeted manner. 15 The largest benefits do not necessarily go to the neediest borrowers or those who contribute most to the public good, but to borrowers with the largest debts (typically from graduate school)16 who know how to navigate the system by obtaining the right kind of loan (consolidating at the right time), picking the right repayment plan, working for the right employer, and even filing their taxes the right way.17 What's more, borrowers expecting to go into public service face strong incentives to take on significant amounts of debt, even if they do not need to.18
"A program like PSLF/TEPSLF could be more effectively administered if the onus was on the government rather than borrowers to measure eligibility. For example, Congress could consider modifying the program to simplify eligibility rules and provide forgiveness using administrative data rather than a cumbersome application process that is expensive to administer and only rewards borrowers who can navigate it (and provides additional benefits to those who misrepresent their income or family size).19
"IRS data could be used to forgive a set percentage or amount of debt (e.g., 10 percent or $5,000) each year a borrower has W-2 wage income with an eligible employer and total income under a chosen threshold.
"All borrowers would be eligible, regardless of loan type or repayment plan (the income data on tax returns would be used for targeting in place of the complicated loan repayment system), and the program would help borrowers reduce their balance each year they are in public service.20 Congress could keep the current expansive definition of public service or more narrowly target the program, as in existing programs for public-interest lawyers and nurses in high-need areas.21
"There would be significant start-up costs to put such a program in place, but it could treat similarly situated borrowers equally and might cost less to administer over time. Rather than borrowers submitting paperwork to their servicer over a decade and having payments manually counted, the benefit would be provided automatically to all eligible borrowers--including those who cannot figure out how to navigate the current system.
"An alternative that preserves the current structure of the program is to further expand eligibility for the program to additional loan types and repayment plans. But this would be unlikely to make the program easier to navigate for most borrowers (as the TEPSLF experience shows), and would likely make it much more expensive and tilted toward higher-income borrowers (e.g., if borrowers were not required to have made payments at least as great as they would have made in an income-driven plan).
"A third option is to shift the resources currently dedicated to PSLF--as much as $5 billion per year--to alternative policies aimed at the same goal. 22 In my view, a student loan forgiveness program is a poor vehicle for incentivizing public service. Efforts to reward socially valuable employment such as social work or teaching would likely be better accomplished through carefully tailored wage subsidies, or through targeted scholarship programs that reduce students' need to borrow in the first place.
"A targeted grant program can have a larger effect on whether students go into public service than a loan forgiveness program. A 2009 study found that law students who received a scholarship in exchange for agreeing to go into public service were 36-45 percent more likely to take a public-interest job than students who received a financially equivalent offer of loan forgiveness (instead of tuition assistance).23 Such a program could also be targeted to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but prior experience with the
"TEACH grant program suggests it may be best to trust that recipients will go into public service rather than convert their grant into a loan if they do not.24
"In conclusion, many of the challenges of implementing PSLF and TEPSLF stem from the complex design of these programs. Discussions of how to improve the administration of PSLF/TEPSLF should be accompanied by careful consideration of how the underlying programs might be reformed to reduce confusion and make them work better for both borrowers and taxpayers.
"The Department of Education should continue to work with servicers to improve the implementation of these programs and better communicate information to borrowers. But it is important to acknowledge the real constraints imposed by the program's design and take steps to address them for future borrowers.
"Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I look forward to answering any questions."
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Footnotes:
1 David Deming and Susan Dynarski, "Into College, Out of Poverty? Policies to Increase the Postsecondary Attainment of the Poor," Working Paper 15387 (Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2009).
2 Jason Delisle, Private in Name Only: Lessons from the Defunct Guaranteed Student Loan Program (Washington, DC: American Enterprise Institute, 2017).
3 Portfolio summary is at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/data-center/student/portfolio.
4 Erica Blom, "Who Does the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Really Benefit?" Urban Wire (blog), Urban Institute, October 27, 2017, https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/who-does-public-service-loan-forgiveness-program-really-benefit
5 Portfolio by repayment plan is at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/data-center/student/portfolio.
6 Susan Dynarski and Daniel Kreisman, Loans for Educational Opportunity: Making Borrowing Work for Today's Students (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2013).
7 Jason Delisle, The Coming Public Service Loan Forgiveness Bonanza (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2016).
8 A payment can also be disqualified if it was used toward another loan forgiveness program, such as the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program (https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/teacher#both-tlf-pslf).
9 Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Education Needs to Provide Better Information for the Loan Servicer and Borrowers, GAO-18-547 (Washington, DC: GAO, 2018), https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/694304.pdf.
10 Elizabeth J. Akers and Matthew M. Chingos, Are College Students Borrowing Blindly? (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2014).
11 "Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Temporary Expanded PSLF (TEPSLF)," Deck 22 from the 2018 FSA Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals, Atlanta, November 26-30, available at https://fsaconferences.ed.gov/2018sessionlist.html.
12 Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Improving the Temporary Expanded Process Could Help Reduce Borrower Confusion, GAO-19-595 (Washington, DC: GAO, 2019), https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/701157.pdf.
13 It would also be useful to know, of the applicants initially deemed potentially eligible for TEPSLF, how many were already in IDR (for the last 12 months) versus how many needed to submit income information to assess their eligibility. One might expect that borrowers would be more likely to be eligible if they were currently in IDR but had made some payments under a noneligible plan in the past. But a bounding exercise based on the data in the GAO report suggests that no more than 13 percent of applicants who met the initial set of requirements (being denied for PSLF) were in IDR for at least the past 12 months.
14 Over time, the approval rate may increase as borrowers learn about program requirements and more pass the threshold of 120 qualifying payments and months of employment.
15 Taken from the March 2019 PSLF report, available at "Public Service Loan Forgiveness Data," US Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid, accessed September 17, 2019, https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/data-center/student/loan-forgiveness/pslf-data. The average balance forgiven per borrower in TEPSLF is about $41,000. See Government Accountability Office, Improving the Temporary Expanded Process Could Help Reduce Borrower Confusion (Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office, 2019), https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/701157.pdf.
16 Higher Education: Characteristics of Graduate PLUS Borrowers, GAO-18-392R (Washington, DC: GAO, 2018), https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/691308.pdf.
17 Under some income-driven plans, married borrowers make different payments depending on whether they file jointly or separately.
18 Jason Delisle and Alexander Holt, Zero Marginal Cost: Measuring Subsidies for Graduate Education in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (Washington, DC: New America, 2014), https://na-production.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/zero-marginal-cost.pdf.
19 Federal Student Loans: Education Needs to Verify Borrowers' Information for Income-Driven Repayment Plans, GAO-19-347 (Washington, DC: GAO, 2019), https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/699968.pdf.
20 Forgiving some debt each year would be less targeted than forgiving more debt after 10 years of public service to the extent that some borrowers would qualify in earlier years before going on to make high incomes in later years (e.g., doctors who obtain loan forgiveness while they are in residency). An alternative approach would be for servicers to gather borrowers' income and employment data from the IRS and then provide forgiveness after multiple years of working in public service at low or modest income.
21 These are the John R. Justice Program (https://www.bja.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?Program_ID=65#horizontalTab2) and the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program (https://bhw.hrsa.gov/loans-scholarships/nurse-corps/loan-repayment-program/determine-eligibility-and-apply).
22 The president's 2020 budget estimates savings of $53 billion over 10 years from eliminating PSLF. See Executive Office of the President, A Budget for a Better America (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2019), https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/msar-fy2020.pdf. The Congressional Budget Office estimates total savings of $23 billion. See Congressional Budget Office, "Federal Education Program--CBO's Estimate of the President's Fiscal Year 2020 Budget" (Washington, DC, Congressional Budget Office, 2019), https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2019-05/55207-education.pdf.
23 Erica Field, "Educational Debt Burden and Career Choice: Evidence from a Financial Aid Experiment at NYU Law School," AEJ: Applied Economics 1, no. 1 (2009): 1-21, https://www.doi.org/10.1257/app.1.1.1.
24 Jason Delisle and Alexander Holt, "The Tangled World of Teacher Debt," EducationNext 17, no. 4 (2017): 42-48.
