Kent Says Treasury Has ‘Better Talent’ Than ED to Support Student Loans
Jessica Blake
April 24, 2026
By shifting oversight of the portfolio, the Trump administration aims to improve loan collection as well as prevent borrowers from entering default in the first place.
To Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent, transferring the management of America’s $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department is about more than reviving student debt collection on the back end. It’s also meant to provide stronger support for borrowers at the start, in the hopes of preventing delinquent payments.
The processes and responsibilities associated with taking out a loan need to be clearly communicated and enforced, Kent said Thursday at a fireside chat hosted by the American Enterprise Institute. And “there’s no better partner in the world” than the Department of Treasury to make that happen, he said.
