A Betsy DeVos Holdover Is Still In Charge Of America’s Student Loans

A Betsy DeVos Holdover Is Still In Charge Of America’s Student Loans

Advocates for student loan borrowers are pressuring President Joe Biden's administration to fire the head of Federal Student Aid, a Trump administration holdover they say has mismanaged an office that could be key in advancing Democratic goals to make college more affordable. 

The pressure ― already coming from progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten ― is likely to increase now that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has taken office. The White House has said only Cardona has the power to formally oust Mark Brown, a retired Air Force general who then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos chose to lead the office in 2019. DeVos appointed Brown to a three-year term that ends in 2022. 

“These decisions will affect the financial futures of tens of millions of people,” said Mike Pierce, the policy director at the Student Borrower Protection Center. “Are they going to trust the guy who was Betsy DeVos' yes-man? That's crazy.”

The White House and Education Department declined to comment.

Progressives have pressured Biden to forgive student loan debt en masse, but advocates also believe firing Brown ― and picking the right person to succeed him ― could lead to far better management of existing loan forgiveness programs, including