In recent days, student loans and other higher education programs have been the focus of multiple initiatives. On April 6, President Biden extended the current pause on federal loan repayment through Aug. 31. That announcement brought an obvious appeal to the 44 million consumers who together owe an estimated $1.7 trillion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m asking all student loan borrowers to work with the Department of Education to prepare for a return to repayment, look into Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and explore other options to lower their payments,\u201d\u00a0Biden said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Days earlier on March 28, the Biden administration submitted to Congress its fiscal 2023 budget proposal with a promise to \u201cgrow the economy from the bottom up and middle out,\u201d including more funding for the Education Department\u2019s higher education appropriations.<\/p>\n For example, an estimated 6.7 million students from low- and middle-income backgrounds eligible for Pell Grants would benefit from increasing maximum awards by $2,175 in the 2021-2022 academic year. Similarly, an increase of $752\u00a0million over the 2021 enacted level would enhance institutional capacity at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and tribally controlled colleges and universities (TCCUs). Another $161 million for the Department\u2019s Office for Civil Rights \u2014 a 23% increase compared to the 2021 enacted level \u2014 would strengthen the agency\u2019s capacity to protect equal access to education through the enforcement of civil rights laws, such as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.<\/p>\n Increased higher education funding was predictably welcomed by HBCU stakeholders.<\/p>\n \u201c[T]he request for the Pell Grant to be increased by $2,000 in the upcoming year is nothing short of landmark,\u201d said\u00a0Lodriguez V. Murray<\/a>, United Negro College Fund (UNCF) senior vice president for public policy and government affairs. \u201cIf Congress follows through on President Biden\u2019s UNCF supported request, it would be the largest single-year increase to the Pell Grant, putting us on course to double the Pell Grant this decade, and be one of the biggest game-changers for low-to-moderate-income students in our country in modern times.\u201d<\/p>\n Also noting the importance of Pell Grants as the \u201cprimary vehicle to make college affordable\u201d for 75% of HBCU students, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) includes both publicly supported HBCUs \u2013 over 80% of all students attending HBCUs \u2014 and predominantly black institutions (PBIs) \u2014 also called upon Congress to support the request to double the maximum Pell Grant award.<\/p>\n \u201cTMCF looks forward to working with Congressional leadership, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus to adopt these historic proposals for the betterment of our institutions and their students,\u201d said Harry L. Williams<\/a>, the organization\u2019s president, and CEO.<\/p>\n Yet other advocates raised other issues beyond annual budget appropriations.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we applaud the administration for allowing borrowers who were in delinquency or default to receive a \u2018fresh start\u2019 on their repayment plans and reenter repayment in good standing, their debts remain the same,\u201d noted\u00a0Jaylon Herbin<\/a>, outreach and policy manager with the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL). \u201cExtending the payment pause once more is not enough to ensure financial fairness for the millions of Americans who were disproportionately affected by the burdens of the pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n Herbin\u2019s reaction repeated CRL\u2019s earlier calls for debt forgiveness as well as reforms to income-driven repayment (IDR). This same goal is also shared by other consumer advocates.<\/p>\n