Overhaul of Biden-Era Student Loan Program Clears House Committee

Republicans seek to pass national higher education finance reform as part of a massive reconciliation bill.

Student borrowers rally in front of the White House on Aug. 24, 2022, to celebrate President Biden's intent to cancel student debt, which was later blocked by the Supreme Court. Paul Morigi/Getty Images

A Republican-led House panel on April 29 supported a measure that caps the amount of federally backed student loans, protects taxpayers against debt forgiveness bailouts, and amends Pell grant requirements.

The Student Success and Taxpayer Savings Plan Bill, passed by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce along party lines with a 21–14 vote, forms a component of the larger reconciliation bill, aimed at avoiding the 60-vote filibuster Senate requirement, to advance President Donald Trump’s policy agenda.