Stop Congress From Stripping Affordable Repayment From Parent PLUS Borrowers

We, the undersigned, urgently call on Congress to amend the proposed Senate student loan legislation to protect Parent PLUS borrowers from losing access to Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans.

Right now, language in the bill would:

Permanently block borrowers who ever held Parent PLUS loans (even if double consolidated) from:

1. Accessing IDR plans unless they are in active ICR repayment the day before the bill becomes law.

2. Maintaining eligibility for IBR or SAVE, even if enrolled in good faith under official guidance.

3.Retaining IDR access if they are in administrative or hardship forbearance — even when already approved.

⚠️ This Would Be Devastating for Borrowers Who:

1. Used complex double consolidation to gain access to IBR/ICR as the law allowed.
2. Made financial decisions — including borrowing Parent PLUS loans — based on the assumption that IDR would be available.

3. Are currently in forbearance due to job loss, caregiving, medical issues, or other hardship — and now risk losing affordable repayment permanently.

4. Are legally eligible for IDR and have submitted timely, complete applications — yet remain in limbo because their applications have been pending for many weeks or months and may not be approved by the time the bill is enacted.

**This policy, as written, would punish responsible borrowers and trigger defaults across thousands of middle-income families who borrowed to support their children's education.

 
We Ask Congress to:

✅ Grandfather in Parent PLUS borrowers who are already enrolled, approved, or have pending IDR applications — regardless of repayment status.
✅ Accept IBR and SAVE enrollment (not just ICR) to maintain eligibility for future amended plans.
✅ Allow flexibility for those in hardship or administrative forbearance — especially those who acted in good faith under the current system.
✅ Clarify the intent of the legislation and provide a public timeline and guidance so borrowers can respond before irreversible harm is done.

✅ Protect borrowers who are currently eligible for IDR plans but whose applications have been pending for many weeks or months — through no fault of their own — and may not be approved before the bill takes effect.

 
🧭 Final Word

Borrowers who completed double consolidation did not game the system — we followed a complex process that was allowed under law and guided by servicers and federal websites.

To be retroactively excluded from IDR options, something we have been deemed eligible for, simply because we borrowed through Parent PLUS to help our children attend college, is cruel, unjust, and harmful.

Many of us are already overwhelmed, navigating delayed processing and pending applications, with no guarantee of approval before the law takes effect. Without intervention, this bill could shut the door on affordable repayment for countless families who followed the rules and are now being failed by the system.

This impacts over 3 million Americans of all political parties and ages.

We urge you to protect families, uphold promises, and fix this legislation before it devastates a community of borrowers already stretched to the limit.

Sign this petition and stand with Parent PLUS borrowers.