Bill · S. 3070· Senate(119-S-3070)
Shutdown Student Loans for Feds Act
- Introduced
- 10/29/2025
- Last activity
- 10/29/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- Angela Alsobrooks
- Cosponsors
- - 14 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is known as the Shutdown Student Loans for Feds Act. It provides federal student loan borrower relief specifically for federal employees and certain contractors during a government shutdown. The bill applies when there is a lapse in appropriations lasting at least 14 days. During these periods, the Secretary of Education must suspend loan payments and stop interest from piling up. It also ensures that the suspended months still count toward loan forgiveness programs and protects peoples credit scores by treating the paused payments as regular on-time payments.
Yes· 3 of 6
Does this reduce what student borrowers owe or repay?+8
The bill provides direct temporary relief for federal student loan borrowers during government shutdowns by suspending payments and stopping interest accrual.
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?+5
Young adults who hold federal student loans or work as early-career federal employees benefit from payment suspensions during shutdowns.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+5
The bill eases financial pressure on lower-income federal workers and contractors who lose pay during government shutdowns.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Payment Relief on Student Loans: Under Section 2(b), the Secretary of Education must suspend all federal student loan payments due from covered individuals during an agency funding lapse of 14 days or more. This helps people keep their hard-earned cash when they might not be getting paid.
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No Extra Interest Building Up: Under Section 2(c), interest is blocked from accruing on these specific loans during the suspension period. This ensures that folks do not fall deeper into debt just because the government shut down.
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Credit Score Protection: Under Section 2(e), the bill requires the Secretary to treat suspended payments as if they were regularly scheduled payments made by the individual when reporting to consumer reporting agencies. This protects peoples credit from taking a hit during a shutdown.
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Keeping Loan Forgiveness on Track: Under Section 2(d), each month of suspended payments is counted as if the borrower actually made a payment toward any loan forgiveness program they qualify for. This ensures workers do not lose precious time toward getting their loans forgiven.
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Option for Refunds: Under Section 2(f)(2), the Secretary of Education is allowed to issue a refund for any loan payments made during an eligible shutdown period if the covered individual requests it. This gives financial flexibility back to workers who paid during a funding lapse.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Excludes Workers Still Getting Paid: Under Section 2(a)(2)(C), the bill explicitly does not include employees or contractors who continue to receive their basic pay during a lapse in appropriations. This means some workers dealing with the stress of a shutdown get zero student loan relief if their specific funding stream or pay status remains untouched.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+5Good For Middle Class Households+5Good For Young Adults+5Good For Middle Aged+4Good For Union Workers+4
- Education And Technology
- Improves Student Loan Relief+8
- 11/3/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/29/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 14 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey
Kirsten GillibrandDemocrat · New York
Mazie HironoDemocrat · Hawaii
Timothy KaineDemocrat · Virginia
Andy KimDemocrat · New Jersey
Ben LujánDemocrat · New Mexico
Edward MarkeyDemocrat · Massachusetts
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont
Chris Van HollenDemocrat · Maryland
Ron WydenDemocrat · Oregon
Mark WarnerDemocrat · Virginia
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts