The Biden administration repeatedly refused to transition student borrowers back into repayment after the COVID-19 payment pause and unsuccessfully tried to cancel student debt en masse several times.
Joe Biden’s actions meant millions of student loan borrowers became disengaged from the loan system, leaving it vulnerable to a wave of delinquencies when payments effectively resumed in October 2024.
The Trump administration faces the challenge of transitioning 35 million borrowers back into active repayment. As of March 2025, barely one-third of borrowers not enrolled in school were making on-time loan payments.