March 26 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Education reopened its online income-driven repayment plan and loan consolidation applications for borrowers Wednesday.
In a press release, the agency said its Office of Federal Student Aid can once again receive applications from borrowers for the Income-Based Repayment, Pay As You Earn and Income-Contingent Repayment plans using StudentAid.gov/idr, which has been reportedly updated.
The application was paused by an injunction in February due to a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration.
However, the American Federation of Teachers filed a suit on March 18 to restart the application, stating in a press release that the Trump administration was “denying borrowers’ access to affordable loan payments and blocking progress towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness,” in what it alleged is a “violation of federal law.”
It declared in its lawsuit that “Congress provided clear and specific directives to the Department so that millions of Americans could repay their loans without being hindered by the debt.”
Acting Education Department Under Secretary James Bergeron said in the release, “Our team was able to relaunch this application within weeks, ensuring borrowers have access and the ability to access all legal repayment plans.”
