House Bill Calls for Risk-Sharing, Sweeping Changes to Student Loan Program
Jessica Blake
April 29, 2025
The proposal is part of Republicans’ broader plan to pay for Trump’s tax cuts and other priorities.
House Republicans are planning to upend how students and families pay for college in order to cut $330 billion in federal spending, according to draft legislation released Monday.
Lawmakers and supporters of the sweeping plan, which includes cutting off subsidized loans to undergraduates next year, capping loans for existing borrowers and ending the graduate student loan program, say the changes are necessary to address the student debt crisis and hold colleges accountable. But student advocates fear it will make college inaccessible.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce will mark up the legislation Tuesday. Among other changes, the bill would put colleges partially on the hook for unpaid student loans, consolidate income-driven repayment plans, repeal Biden-era regulations and make changes to which students and programs are eligible for the Pell Grant.
