Foster Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Washington, DC – Today, Representatives Bill Foster (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the bipartisan Public Service Loan Forgiveness Inclusion Act of 2026 to expand the types of student loan repayment plans eligible for forgiveness and support those who forgo potentially lucrative careers to work in public service.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program was established in 2007 and requires the Department of Education to forgive federal student loans after borrowers make at least 10 years of qualifying payments while working for certain public service employers. Currently, 97 percent of public servants who have applied for loan forgiveness have been denied. Millions of borrowers who enrolled in the PSLF program were told after they had already made payments that they had the wrong type of loan or repayment plan and would not qualify for forgiveness under the program. 

This bill would allow payments made under a broader range of payment plans—including graduated repayment plans, extended repayment plans, and the new tiered standard repayment plans—to count toward PSLF for a borrower’s first 60 qualifying payments.

“The rising cost of higher education is forcing more Americans to take on significant student debt. This financial burden can often discourage talented individuals from pursuing a career in public service,” said Rep. Foster. “It’s past time to expand which student loan repayment plans qualify for forgiveness and make the process easier to navigate.” 

The bill is supported by the American Council on Education (ACE), the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), Young Invincibles, and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT): Education, Healthcare, Public Services.

It is cosponsored by Reps. Jesús ‘Chuy’ García (D-IL), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), André Carson (D-IN), Angie Craig (D-MN), Shomari Figures (D-AL), and Alma Adams (D-NC).

A copy of the legislation is available here.

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