NEW POLL: Americans Overwhelmingly Support Reinstating the Gainful Employment Rule, Easing Student Debt Discharge in Bankruptcy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 27, 2021

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NEW POLL: Americans Overwhelmingly Support Reinstating the Gainful Employment Rule, Easing Student Debt Discharge in Bankruptcy

A majority of Americans support increased flexibility in discharging student debt in bankruptcy and the reinstatement of the Gainful Employment rule, according to a new poll from Data for Progress. The poll — commissioned by Student Defense and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee — shows strong support for some measures that would help ease the nation’s student debt crisis.

Among the poll’s chief findings, a large, bipartisan majority — including 65% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans — supports treating student debt the same as other kinds of debt that have a lower discharge threshold in bankruptcy court.

Respondents also favored reinstating the Obama-era Gainful Employment rule, which was enacted to ensure that for-profit and career college programs graduated students who earned enough to pay back their loans. The survey also found strong support for extending the pause on federal student loan repayments past the current pause, which is scheduled to end at the end of September.

“It’s clear that the federal government can be doing more to alleviate the burden of student loan debt that countless borrowers face every day,” said Student Defense President Aaron Ament. “As we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden Administration does not need to wait for Congress to take actions such as helping distressed student loan borrowers in bankruptcy and reinstating the Gainful Employment Rule.”

You can find the full results of the poll on the Student Defense website.