1. United States
2. La.
3. Letter

The proposal to transfer management of the federal student loan portfolio from the experienced Department of Education to the Small Business Administration is deeply concerning. The SBA lacks the infrastructure and expertise to effectively oversee $1.6 trillion in outstanding student debt impacting tens of millions of borrowers. Dismantling the Department of Education would disrupt vital programs like Pell Grants and special education funding while removing state-level coordination and accountability. Rather than pursue this destabilizing plan driven by political motivations, we should strengthen and reform the existing student loan system to better serve borrowers. The Department of Education has decades of experience administering federal aid programs and is the appropriate agency to address issues like loan forgiveness, repayment options, and curbing predatory lending practices.