Republicans realize the awful pitfalls of Trump administration’s new financial aid rule

A new Education Department rule will let the agency use IRS earnings data to decide whether graduates' pay is high enough for a degree program to stay eligible for the Direct Loan Program. Set to take effect next year, it could cut off borrowing for students in lower-paying fields such as social work, art and religious studies, MS NOW reports.

After The New Republic flagged those risks, the department defended itself on X. It argued that many graduates postpone buying a home or starting a family because programs with poor financial returns left them with debt they could not manage, and it said federal loans are not meant to prop up failing programs.

Some Republicans are uneasy anyway. Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and James Lankford of Oklahoma introduced the Religious Education Fairness Act, which would exempt religious studies and other faith-based fields from the rule. Lankford said students called to lead a congregation or work as missionaries should not lose aid because Washington judges that vocation by income. Alliance Defending Freedom, the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and groups representing Christian schools back the bill.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →